The Met Police unit, which deals with major crimes including cyberthreats, homicide, firearms, drugs and armed robbery, is facing a recruitment crisis with more than 300 vacancies in its ranks, a report has revealed.
Specialist Crime Command, one of the Met’s busiest units, is struggling to fill posts in a number of key areas because the highly trained officers can receive better pay and conditions in the private sector.
The resourcing crisis is particularly keenly felt in the area of financial crime, where specialist investigators and analysts are proving extremely difficult to recruit and retain.
A report from His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) warned that the lack of resources is having an impact on the force’s ability to tackle serious and organised crime.
As well as dealing with major crimes, specialist crime command is also responsible for economic and cybercrime, online and child sexual exploitation.
The HMICFRS report found that the unit was currently operating with 300 staff and officer vacancies. Inspectors also found that almost a fifth of financial investigator posts were unfilled, with one unit operating with eight members of staff when it should have had 50.
Inspectors found that of the 228 highly skilled analyst posts in the Met, 40 were currently vacant, which was impacting the ability to gather evidence in complex cases.
Commenting on the findings, Suid Adeyanju, CEO, RiverSafe, said: “Recruiting staff with high levels of security expertise is one of the biggest challenges facing organisations like the Met. The rising threat posed by cyberattacks like ransomware alongside the digital skills shortfall means the pressure is on to rapidly upskill existing employees in order to plug the gap.”
Matt Parr, His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, said: “Forces need to think innovatively to keep skilled staff. They may wish to think about working in collaboration with the private sector to navigate this challenge and find a way to share resources.”
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