I recently visited a specialist violence against women and girls (VAWG), domestic abuse and stalking unit within the Metropolitan Police – the dedication of those officers was remarkable.
They are drowning in caseloads but they care deeply about victims and often go above and beyond. However, it is clear the work of exceptional officers like these is greatly undermined when we hear repeatedly that the bar for getting rid of corrupt and abusive officers remains too high. The very delayed review into police dismissals published earlier this year will go some way to fixing the problem, but it is not the panacea and in some ways fails to grasp the deep-seated cultural issue that many forces are grappling with when it comes to misogyny within their ranks.