A “failure of leadership” resulted in sexist, racist and homophobic messages exchanged by a group of police officers, the home secretary has said.

Priti Patel took aim at those at the top of the Metropolitan Police after the messages were published in full on Tuesday, with many too offensive to print.

The now-disbanded team based in Westminster, mainly at Charing Cross Police Station, sent messages on WhatsApp and Facebook as they joked about rape, domestic violence and violent racism, and used homophobic language and derogatory terms for disabled people.

In an unusual step, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) published the messages after a series of nine investigations into the behaviour of the police officers between 2016 and 2018.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Messages incident ‘not isolated’

Ms Patel told the Commons Home Affairs committee on Wednesday the problem was not isolated and there had been “too many instances where, in policing, we just see the most appalling behaviours”.

Asked by committee chairwoman Diana Johnson if she thinks police forces are “institutionally misogynistic”, Ms Patel said: “There are problems with the culture, and some aspects of the culture, within the Metropolitan Police.

Met commissioner Dame Cressida Dick won’t be relishing ‘career threatening’ Downing Street parties investigation

Year In Review – COVID, violence against women and sport

Home Secretary Priti Patel threatened with legal action over ‘police abuse of women’ after Sarah Everard murder

“I do think there are some very, very serious and significant matters that need, not just following up, but further investigation.

“We’re not seeing one-off incidences. I think we should just be quite clear about that.

“We have seen now too, too many times, too many instances where, in policing, we just see the most appalling behaviours, the most appalling conduct.

“I also think it shows a failure of leadership in some quarters.

“So you’ve asked me the question about institutional misogyny within policing. There are cultural issues there.

“What we saw in the IOPC report absolutely points to, I’m not even going to say just misogynistic behaviours, I think it’s cultural and attitudinal.”

Sadiq Khan puts Dame Cressida ‘on notice’

The Home Secretary said “change is required” but insisted she has confidence in Met Police boss Dame Cressida Dick.

However, London Mayor Sadiq Khan later put Dame Cressida “on notice” after speaking to her about the revelations for “well over 90 minutes” on Wednesday.

He said the Met “needs to urgently show it has an effective plan for restoring the trust and confidence of Londoners in the police and to drive out the culture of racism, homophobia, bullying and misogyny which clearly still exists within its ranks”.

Ms Patel must approve police commissioner appointments and can also dismiss them, but the mayor would be consulted.

More investigations

Two inquiries are underway looking at the Met’s culture. One, organised by the force, is being led by Baroness Casey while a Home Office inquiry led by Dame Elish Angiolini is looking at the failures behind the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer.

More: How Sarah Everard’s killer was caught

The investigations into the group of officers who sent the messages was sparked by a later disproven claim an officer had sex with a drunk person at a police station.

Fourteen officers were investigated, with two found to have a case to answer for gross misconduct – one was sacked and another resigned.

Nine are still officers and another is working as a contractor in a staff role.

Related posts:

Thousands with learning disabilities and autism still being held in mental health hospitals Euro 2020: England fined £25,630 after laser pointer shone at Denmark keeper during semi-final Woman charged with murder of pensioner after body found in woodland Gareth Southgate tells England fans their ‘support and energy has given us a huge lift’ Jab trial participants to be offered approved vaccine doses so they can travel abroad Man admits to killing two women 34 years after bodies found in Kent Meghan’s letter to dad ‘written with public consumption in mind’, court hears Yorkshire CCC suspends first XI coach over ‘historical’ tweet Revealed: The caver who was rescued after two-day Brecon Beacons ordeal Domestic abuse victims ‘forced to stay with their abuser’ after being denied legal aid Ban on Yorkshire hosting internationals at Headingley lifted after cricket racism scandal prompts changes Patient dies of Ebola-like Lassa fever as third case in UK confirmed, health officials say