Thirteen officers have been dismissed in a probe into remarks about migrants, women, and homeless people
Published 17 Sep, 2026 00:12
FILE PHOTO: Metropolitan Police officers in London, UK, October 4, 2025. © Getty Images / Mike Kemp/In Pictures
Two more officers have been fired from London’s Metropolitan Police for misconduct involving offensive comments, the force said on Tuesday, bringing the number of serving officers dismissed in a wider probe into Charing Cross police station to 13.
One was dismissed after a disciplinary hearing found that he had told a female colleague during an off-duty night out: “I hope you get raped on your way to Waterloo.” The other was fired over comments suggesting he enjoyed using force against members of the public and “hated” homeless people.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched its investigation last year after allegations about officers at Charing Cross, described as Britain’s busiest police station, emerged in a BBC Panorama undercover documentary. The program recorded officers making offensive comments about women and migrants, as well as remarks about using force against suspects and homeless people. Fifteen officers have since been found to have committed gross misconduct, while 15 more officers and staff remain under investigation.
The dismissals stand in sharp contrast to the handling of two officers under investigation in Hampshire and Isle of Wight for potential gross misconduct over their treatment of 18-year-old Henry Nowak before his death in December 2025. Neither police officer has been suspended.
Nowak had been mortally wounded by Vickrum Digwa, who falsely told police that the teenager attacked him for racist reasons. Bodycam footage showed Nowak repeatedly telling officers that he had been stabbed and could not breathe, but they arrested and handcuffed him rather than immediately providing first aid.
The IOPC is investigating whether the officers failed to recognize that Nowak needed urgent medical attention and whether race or religion influenced their treatment of him and Digwa. The watchdog has stressed that the investigation does not necessarily mean disciplinary proceedings will follow.
The footage sparked public outrage and renewed accusations of “two-tier” policing. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has described Britain as “a two-tier state against white people” and argued that Nowak’s death was a consequence of policing guidelines that led officers to treat ethnic groups differently. The IOPC has not concluded whether discrimination played a role.
Public confidence in British policing has meanwhile fallen sharply. Just 51% of Britons trust police to tell the truth, according to Ipsos’ 2025 Veracity Index – down 11 percentage points in a year and the lowest level recorded since the pollster began measuring trust in police in 1983.
