BRITISH home secretary Priti Patel said she was "appalled and sickened" by the behaviour of Metropolitan Police officers, following reports about how officers in London had joked about rape, killing black children and beating their wives.
The Met Police said it was "deeply sorry" after the findings were published by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Patel said the force had "problems" with its culture and added that the conduct of service officers cannot be dismissed as "one-off" incidents.
She blamed a "failure of leadership in some quarters", but said she had confidence in Met Police chief Cressida Dick to bring in changes.
"There are no excuses for the appalling behaviour and what we have seen in that IOPC report, and it is quite clear there are cultural problems and issues in policing," Patel was quoted as saying.
The IOPC launched its investigation in 2018 and its report was published on Tuesday (1).
The report identified "bullying and aggressive behaviour; 'banter' used to excuse oppressive and offensive behaviours; discrimination; toxic masculinity, misogyny and sexual harassment".
Health officials across the country have also encouraged individuals with symptoms to isolate and seek testingiStock
