Victims of domestic abuse have lost confidence in Britain’s biggest police force after a series of scandals, a senior officer has admitted.
Det Supt Andrew Wadey, the Metropolitan police’s lead for domestic abuse and stalking, acknowledged the force had “let women and girls down badly in the past” but insisted they were committed to rebuilding trust.
Domestic abuse accounts for about 12% of reported crime in London. In the last year the Met recorded 13 domestic abuse-related murders, 11 of which were against women. It also recorded six suicides – all women – in which there was a history of domestic abuse, though Wadey said the true number was probably higher.