Four officers and a police staff member will face disciplinary proceedings after investigations into the handling of allegations against serial rapist David Carrick.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) carried out four independent investigations into what actions were taken by the Metropolitan Police after four reports of serious offending were made against Carrick between 2002 and 2021, while he was a serving Met officer.
Carrick was eventually arrested in October 2021 and jailed in February 2023.
The police complaints watchdog said there had been ‘several missed opportunities to pursue misconduct investigations’ against the sex predator which could have seen Carrick sacked before he was arrested.
Four officers and a police staff member will face disciplinary proceedings after investigations into the handling of allegations against serial rapist David Carrick (pictured)
The IOPC said it had decided that a detective sergeant should face a gross misconduct hearing.
A further three officers and a staff member will also face misconduct meetings for alleged breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour, all relating to failing to progress misconduct investigations against Carrick.
Two other former officers would have also faced disciplinary meetings if they had not retired.
Those facing disciplinary proceedings all worked in the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards (DPS) at the time.
IOPC regional director Mel Palmer said: ‘Our thoughts continue to be with all of the women who were victims of this serial predator.
‘Our investigations into alleged failures to investigate reports made against David Carrick were comprehensive and identified several missed opportunities to pursue misconduct investigations against him.
‘In all cases we identified that officers failed to properly explore, investigate or oversee the misconduct investigations against Carrick, who never faced any disciplinary proceedings despite being the subject of serious criminal allegations on multiple occasions.
In February 2023, Carrick was sentenced to a minimum term of 30 years in prison for 49 violent and sexual offences, including 24 counts of rape
‘Had these matters been progressed appropriately, Carrick may have potentially faced gross misconduct proceedings and been dismissed from the force well before he was eventually arrested.
‘Four officers and a member of police staff will now face disciplinary proceedings, including one officer who will face a gross misconduct hearing, while two more former officers would have faced disciplinary meetings had they not retired from the force.’
In February 2023, Carrick was sentenced to a minimum term of 30 years in prison for 49 violent and sexual offences, including 24 counts of rape.
David Tippets, a former police sergeant who is now an inspector, and Pc Emma Fisher were given final written warnings in June for failing to adequately investigate an allegation of abuse by Carrick.
The investigation began in July last year after Wiltshire Police made a referral over a report from 2016 which had appeared not to have been investigated appropriately.
A woman called Wiltshire Police in January 2016 to report that Carrick, who was first arrested in 2021, had abused another female. She wanted Carrick, a serving Metropolitan Police Service officer, investigated.
Pc Fisher was assigned to investigate the matter and after speaking in person to the woman who made the report, Pc Fisher requested the case be closed and her supervisor, Sgt Tippetts, agreed.
More to follow
