Unmasked: Secret BBC filming exposes hidden culture of misogyny and racism inside Met Police

18 hours ago Share Save Adrian Polglase BBC Panorama and Joseph Lee Share Save

Sgt Joe McIlvenny was filmed dismissing an alleged rape victim's testimony

Serving Metropolitan Police officers called for immigrants to be shot, revelled in the use of force and were dismissive of rape claims in footage captured by a Panorama undercover reporter. The evidence of misogyny and racism challenges the Met's promise to have tackled what it calls "toxic behaviours" after the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer. Panorama's secret filming shows officers making sexualised comments to colleagues and sharing racist views about immigrants and Muslims. This evidence reveals that, far from being driven out of the Met, racist and misogynistic attitudes have been driven underground. "Someone new joins, boom, mask on. You've got to figure them out," one officer said. After the BBC sent a detailed list of allegations to the Met, it suspended eight officers and one staff member, and took two more officers off front-line duties. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said the behaviour outlined by Panorama was, "disgraceful, totally unacceptable and contrary to the values and standards" of the force. Warning: This story contains repeated use of highly offensive and discriminatory language Among the officers filmed by our undercover reporter were:

Sgt Joe McIlvenny, an officer with nearly 20 years' service in the Met, who was dismissive about a pregnant woman's allegations of rape and domestic violence, after a colleague raised concerns about the decision to release the accused man on bail. He replied: "That's what she says."

PC Martin Borg, who enthusiastically described how he saw another officer, Sgt Steve Stamp, stomp on a suspect's leg. PC Borg laughed when he described how he had offered to make a statement saying the suspect had tried to kick the sergeant first. It was unclear from CCTV footage if the claim was true.

PC Phil Neilson, who told our reporter in the pub that a detainee who had overstayed his visa should have "a bullet through his head" and "ones that shag, rape women, you'd do the cock and let them bleed out".

BBC Panorama's undercover reporter, Rory Bibb, spent seven months up to January this year as a designated detention officer (DDO) in the custod