Police forces in England and Wales have been told they must complete checks on all their officers and staff by March 31, after a serving Metropolitan Police officer admitted to dozens of counts of rape and other offences.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) wrote to chief constables on Friday, telling them they must conduct the checks as soon as possible and should have identified all cases for further investigation by September.
The Home Office ordered the checks after David Carrick, a former Metropolitan Police officer, admitted 49 criminal charges including 24 counts of rape.
An undated police mugshot of David Carrick, a serving Metropolitan Police officer who admitted the last of 49 serious sexual offences at Southwark Crown Court in London on Jan. 16, 2023. (Hertfordshire Police)
Carrick, 48, who served alongside rapist and murderer Wayne Couzens—the killer of Sarah Everard—admitted to 49 counts of rape, false imprisonment, and indecent assault, relating to 12 women between 2003 and 2020….