Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said that “London is a tough environment” as he launched a recruitment campaign to try and boost falling officer numbers.
From Thursday, the public will see the force’s Change Needs You campaign aimed at driving up the number of new constables in the UK’s largest police force on billboards, the London Underground and across social and digital platforms.
The campaign has been launched amid falling officer numbers and Sir Mark said that the force’s level of diversity is “growing – it is not where we want it to be, but it is going in the right direction”.
The Met says the campaign is closely aligned to the force’s plan for reform.
It says that courage, empathy and respect define a police officer, and is calling out for people who share those values to be part of helping drive change.
The central message is: “Change is hard, it’s easier to do nothing. Change is not for everyone… but you’re not everyone.”
Sir Mark told the PA news agency: “I have got tens of thousands of fantastic men and women going out, day in and day out, making a difference in London and we need more people to join us because recruiting in London is a tough environment.”
He said: “The thing that strikes me about this campaign and what we are bringing to life is that this is a career that is exciting and one where you can feel you are really making a difference.
“There are a lot of people out there who want to make some more purpose in their lives, who are maybe doing jobs which pay the rent but aren’t that exciting, they don’t feel that valuable – this a career for them.”
He said the adverts talk about making a difference within communities, potential for personal growth with the chance to learn and develop new skills plus also “help us change and improve as an organisation”.
A review by Baroness Casey, published last year, found the force to be institutionally racist, misogynist and homophobic after a series of scandals, including the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer and Pc David Carrick being unmasked as a serial rapist.
Former Met constables Deniz Jaffer and Jamie Lewis were jailed for two years and nine months in December 2021 for sharing photographs of the bodies of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry on WhatsApp, before the force was placed in special measures in June 2022.
On whether there has been enough institutional changes to support people from a range of backgrounds wanting to join up, Sir Mark said: “I’m pleased that our recruiting has kept up in recent years.
“It bounces around at about 25% of our recruits are black, Asian or ethnic minority heritage. Our proportion of women recruits is around 40% now I think so our diversity is growing. It is not where we want it to be but it is going in the right direction.”
Regarding the force’s promotion processes, he said: “We are seeing the success of women officers and black and Asian and other officers being proportionate to the numbers in the organisation, so they are coming through and you are seeing more of them in the teams.
“It is all going in the right direction. Clearly an organisation takes a long time to change, but you can see that progress.
“You can see it on the faces of the officers in these adverts and I’m sure there will be an exciting group of people who reflect London and will want to come and join and help us.”
The campaign includes a one-minute film showing the challenges and rewards of policing in London that will be broadcast across on demand TV.
A former prison officer, a Big Brother finalist, a twin and former cabin crew are among the 13 serving Met constables with varied backgrounds in the campaign.
Former prison officer and bus driver Pc Samson Akinnawo, 34, is a local neighbourhood officer in Romford. He wanted to become a police officer since he was a child and joined in 2021.
He said: “As I grew up every interaction I had with the police was positive. I always looked up to the officers – they were doing something beneficial and positive in my life, and I wanted to join and do the same for others.”
Pc Akeem Griffiths, 32, who now responds to 999 calls across Lewisham, was a runner-up in the Big Brother TV reality show in 2018.
He graduated from Hendon Police Training School as the “top student” in his intake and before joining the force, he designed and delivered customer service training.
Pc Griffiths said: “I want to show people who may not know much about the Met, what our vision and values are. I think this is so important, as this may be the deciding factor that encourages people to join this amazing organisation.”
