It is a “ridiculous waste of taxpayers’ money” to pay for police officers who cannot be sacked to sit at home, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has said.
The High Court ruled on Tuesday that the force did not have the power to dismiss officers because they failed their vetting – a background check used to identify unsuitable individuals.
Sir Mark said those unable to be sacked would be put on special leave and paid in full, at a potential cost of “millions of pounds” depending on “how long this takes to fix”.
“They won’t be policing the streets, they won’t be attending your calls,” Sir Mark, who heads the UK’s largest police force, said.