Final Report of the Morris Inquiry: The Case for Change

THE CASE FOR CHANGE
Len Duvall AM
Chair
The Metropolitan Police Authority
10 Dean Farrar Street
London
SW1H 0NY
14th December 2004
A year ago, your Authority asked me to chair an independent inquiry into professional
standards and employment matters in the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).
Joining me on the Inquiry were Sir Anthony Burden, who had recently retired
as Chief Constable of South Wales Police Service after a long and distinguished
career in the police service, and Anesta Weekes QC, who is an eminent barrister
and who sits as a Recorder and part-time Chair of Employment Tribunals.
All three of us believe that we have been given a unique opportunity to make
a lasting contribution to policing in London, and we have been very much aware
of the high level of expectations held by our stakeholders and wider contributors.
We recognise the vital role that the MPS plays in the life of London; it is the largest
police service in the country and the shop window of law enforcement agencies in
the UK.
As the frontier of crime expands with the rise of global terrorism and the changing
social and demographic profile of London, it is inevitable that the social cohesion
between police and citizens will be subject to some stress and much tension. But
despite that, let us pause to remember that scores of police officers daily put
themselves in harm’s way in the defence of the nation’s security.
The Inquiry was commissioned by the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA), but the
Members of the Inquiry, its Secretary and its Solicitors are all independent of the
MPA, the MPS and all the other organisations and individuals who contributed to
the inquiry process.
We launched the Inquiry on 21st January 2004 and spent 6 months gathering
evidence. We received over 1,400 documents and heard oral evidence from 109
people over 31 days. We visited other police services across the country and held
a forum for 40 MPS women officers and staff.
We examined the way the Service handles complaints, grievances, allegations
against individuals and conflict within the workplace. Our focus was the MPS as
an organisation and not the individuals who make up that organisation. In our
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