A BBC Panorama investigation has revealed shocking Islamophobic, racist and misogynistic behaviour among police officers at Charing Cross police station in central London.
Muslim groups have condemned the revelations as evidence of entrenched prejudice within the Metropolitan Police.
The undercover programme showed officers at the station making openly anti-Muslim remarks, mocking detainees, and supporting far-right figures.
Panorama’s undercover reporter, Rory Bibb, spent seven months embedded in the custody suite at Charing Cross police station, working as a designated detention officer.
During that time, he secretly recorded a series of disturbing conversations among serving officers, many of them taking place in pubs where some of the most inflammatory remarks were made.
So far, nine officers and one staff member have been suspended, with two others removed from frontline duties. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) confirmed it is conducting a full investigation.
What were the Islamophobic and anti-Muslim comments?
One officer suggested that an immigrant who had overstayed his visa should be shot. He described Algerians and Somalians as “scum”, before going on to claim that Britain was facing an “invasion” by migrants.
“I think any foreign person is the worst to deal with,” he said.
“I’ve seen too many Islamics [sic] committing crimes. Their way of life is not the correct way of life. You do find that the ones that are causing the most crime are Muslim.”
Another officer, who laughed gleefully when told Muslim detainees were served non-halal food due to a mix-up at the police station, was recorded saying: “Muslims hate us. They f****** hate us.
He added: “Islam is a problem. A serious problem.”
“There’ll be a lot of coppers who don’t want to admit that because it sounds racist.”
Messages exchanged among some officers are also understood to include support for far-right Islamophobe Tommy Robinson.
Meanwhile, minority colleagues described facing discrimination themselves and said they were often treated differently by peers and line managers.
What was the reaction to the documentary?
The revelations have prompted an immediate backlash.
The Association of Muslim Police (AMP) said the documentary will erode trust with the Muslim community.
“First and foremost, we want to acknowledge the fear, pain and frustration this incident has caused. To our Muslim colleagues, we see the hurt this has inflicted, and we stand with you in condemning this bigotry. To the wider Muslim community, we hear your concerns, and we acknowledge that the systemic nature of this incident has eroded the trust you place in us. Your feelings are valid, and we are sorry for the harm this has caused.
“We want to be unequivocally clear: there is no place for racism, Islamophobia or any other forms of hate and discrimination in our police service. The officers involved have been suspended, and a robust, transparent investigation by the IOPC is now underway. We are committed to ensuring that this process is thorough, and that appropriate action is taken.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the findings “shocking” and demanded a strong response from the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley.
Rowley himself issued an apology, describing the comments and behaviour as “reprehensible and completely unacceptable”. He stressed that there is “incontrovertible evidence of racism, misogyny, anti-Muslim sentiment or bragging about excessive use of force.”
