There are 335 Metropolitan Police officers who are waiting to face gross misconduct hearings, the force has said.
These are disciplinary cases where an officer has been accused of a serious breach in their standard of professional behaviour and could be sacked if gross misconduct is proven.
This backlog is a “significant increase compared to this time last year” and the Met wants 30 misconduct hearings and 30 gross incompetence hearings to take place per month, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said.
The force is aiming to rebuild public trust and confidence in policing after it was shattered by a slew of scandals, including the murder of Sarah Everard by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens and the unmasking of former police constable David Carrick as a serial abuser and rapist.
Lawyers known as legally qualified chairs (LQCs) were brought in to oversee police disciplinary panels in 2016 as part of efforts to make the system more transparent, but critics say it is too slow and senior officers are more likely to sack those found guilty of wrongdoing.
Read more: More than 300 Met Police officers are waiting to face gross misconduct hearings
