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

In a video uncovered by a BBC Panorama undercover reporter, serving Metropolitan Police officers were recorded calling for immigrants to be shot, revelling in the use of force, and dismissing rape allegations. The revelations have called into question the Met's promise to have tackled toxic behaviours following the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer.

Officers were caught on undercover film making sexually threatening remarks to colleagues and sharing racist stereotypes about immigrants and Muslims. These findings suggest that, rather than being eradicated from the Met, racist and misogynistic attitudes have simply been pushed underground. "Someone new joins, boom, mask on. You've got to figure them out," one officer said.

Following the BBC's detailed list of allegations, the Met suspended eight officers and one staff member, as well as removing two more officers from front-line duties. Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley stated that the conduct revealed by Panorama was "completely intolerable... and violated the force's values and standards."

Rory Bibb, BBC Panorama's undercover reporter, spent seven months working as a Designated Detention Officer (DDO) in the custody suite of Charing Cross police station in central London. It is a civilian role that involves close collaboration with sergeants and constables but does not include participating in arrests.

Charing Cross has one of the Met's 22 custody suites, where people are held after arrest before they are charged or released. Officers work in a volatile environment, often dealing with vulnerable people, including teenagers and those with mental health problems.

The station had previously been the subject of an investigation into bullying and discrimination by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which began almost four years ago. It found that some officers had discussed assaulting their girlfriends, made derogatory and racist remarks, and joked about rape in private group chats. Despite the Met's pledge to root out "rogue officers" and "cultural failures," whistleblowers told Panorama that officers with racist and misogynistic attitudes still worked at the station.

'Terrifying' Misogyny

Sergeants are responsible for the day-to-day running of the custody suite and for upholding the Met's values. One of them, Sgt McIlvenny, was caught on camera at Charing Cross on several occasions displaying misogynistic attitudes while on duty. He spoke to colleagues in a graphic way about his sex life, telling the undercover reporter and a female colleague about a woman he met online: "She fucking fills the door, almost like monstrous. She was so fat she had two pussies," he said. "There's the real one and then the fat one round it comes."

He also talked about getting sexual pleasure from playing with his nipples, despite the presence of female colleagues. "My pain tolerance goes up dramatically if I'm aroused at the same time," he said of having his nipples pierced. "So, I'm going to ask them if I can have a wank."

As a custody sergeant, McIlvenny is responsible for deciding whether a suspect is detained or released. When a female DDO challenged his decision to free a man accused of assaulting his mother, she pointed out that he had also been accused of attacking his pregnant partner in the stomach. Sgt McIlvenny responded, "That's what she says."

The female DDO later told the undercover reporter of her rage at the sergeant's response. "'He fucking stamped on her stomach when she was pregnant,' she said. 'I'd like to turn around and say, "You're a wanker." But unfortunately, I can't. He's got stripes on his shoulders.'"

Sue Fish, a former temporary chief constable of Nottinghamshire Police who also presided over misconduct hearings, reviewed Panorama's footage and said the sergeant's sexualised remarks were "completely unacceptable and highly misogynistic."

"The fact that people like him have the power to make critical decisions about my safety or the safety of other women is terrifying," she said.

'Red Mist'

The undercover reporter repeatedly captured officers demonstrating a culture of confidence that colleagues would not blow the whistle on them. According to their Standards of Professional Behaviour, police officers can only use force when it is "proportionate and necessary in all the circumstances."

PC Martin Borg described how force was used on a man arrested for impersonating a police officer and attempted kidnap. The man had spat at officers and urinated on his cell door, according to PC Borg, so officers pinned him to the ground. According to the constable, Sgt Steve Stamp, nicknamed 'Stampy', stamped down on the man's leg as he was kicking out. Footage from CCTV cameras in the custody suite showed the sergeant stamping down twice.

"'This guy fucking screamed,' said PC Borg. 'He had a lump on his foot that looked like a fucking tumour, mate.'" He recalled the detainee protesting that the sergeant had stamped on his leg. According to PC Borg, the sergeant later told him that the detainee had tried to kick him. "Absolutely, Sarge," he recalled saying. "I'll put that in the MG11 [witness statement] if you like, Sarge."

Ms Fish, the former chief constable, noted that if PC Borg had fabricated information in the statement, it would amount to "perverting the course of justice." It is not clear from the CCTV footage if the man intended to kick Sgt Stamp. At the time, the man was barefoot and being restrained by four officers.

One officer said that if detainees refuse to have their fingerprints taken, he would pull two of their fingers back hard enough to crack the tendons. "I love taking fingerprints by force," he said. Another constable described kicking a detainee in the legs "five or six times" as he was stood up in a police van wearing leg restraints. "It wasn't a good look. There's no doubt there's a little bit of red mist there. But nothing came of it."

'They're Just Scum'

While drinking in a pub, officers often expressed racist, anti-immigrant, or anti-Muslim sentiments. On one occasion, PC Borg was discussing detainees from ethnic minorities. When asked which group caused the most trouble, he replied, "Muslims. Hate us. They fucking hate us. Proper hate us," he said. "Islam is a problem. A serious problem, I think."

Police guidelines state that officers must not "discredit the police service or jeopardise public confidence, whether on or off duty." PC Phil Neilson, a West End constable, was initially suspicious, half-jokingly asking the undercover reporter if he was from the Met's Directorate of Professional Standards. Two weeks later in the pub, the constable explained that while he did not object to Ukrainian people fleeing the war to come to the UK, he had a different view of people arriving from the Middle East. "They're just scum," he said on his second pint, referring to it as an "invasion."

"We'd better not lose our jobs over this," PC Neilson said. As he drank more, his views became more extreme and violent. Algerians were "scum" and "c****," he said, Somalis were "scum" and "fucking ugly," and "every foreigner is the worst to deal with."

A few drinks later, PC Neilson expressed his views on Islam. "I've seen too many Islamics committing crimes. Their way of life is not the right way of living," he said. "You will find that the ones that are causing the most violence are Muslims."

Of a detainee who had overstayed his visa, PC Neilson said: "Fucking either put a bullet through his head or deport him." He added: "A revolver. A revolver would be so nice. And for those that... rape women, you'd cut off their cocks and let them bleed out."

Ms Fish, the former chief constable, said she was "appalled and disgusted," calling the constable a "violent racist." "I have absolutely no confidence in him as a police officer. Not much of a human being, either," she said.

The Met's Response

During the seven-month probe, the BBC wrote to the Metropolitan Police detailing the evidence it had collected. Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said his team had taken "immediate and unprecedented steps to look into these allegations."

"The Met has dismantled the custody team at Charing Cross," Sir Mark said, adding that more than 1,400 officers and staff have been suspended or placed on restricted duties since 2022 for failing to meet the Met's standards, which he called "the biggest clear-out in the force's history."

"Much more work remains to be done to combat the individuals and cliques whose appalling behaviour continues to shame their coworkers and Londoners," he said. "We're determined to find, confront, and get rid of them."