![]() But I think when you look at the numbers of deaths … it seems to me likely, if not certain, that among the deaths that they do not classify as homicides that there are some … When asked if the Met could be missing identifying murders and serial killers, he said: “None of us know. He said if a death is identified as a homicide, about 92% of cases are taken to court and the conviction rate is high. Parr said the Met is called to attend 30 unexpected deaths in London on a typical day, amounting to about 10,000 a year, with the force dealing with around two or three homicides a week. hadn’t even looked into the pockets of someone who had been found dead.” “The majority of records we saw were poor, contained many omissions, including some where potentially vital evidence such as drugs and suspicious injuries was only discovered at the mortuary. This mirrors a lack of investigation back in 2014-15 where with Port the police failed even to identify that the victims were gay at first. He added: “We found very little evidence that even the most obvious protected characteristics, such as race, were recorded in the death reports. Parr, His Majesty’s inspector of constabulary, said the inspection found that some officers failed to carry out basic tasks such as police national database searches and house-to-house inquiries. ![]() Parr also criticised the “deluge” of “really confusing” guidance and policies for officers – as well as “inadequate” intelligence and crime analysis. He said the HMICFRS inspection reviewed 100 death probes carried out by the Met and found evidence of poor training and supervision, as well as “dreadful” record keeping. Parr said it was “extraordinary” that officers admitted relying on “luck” to identify links between deaths at a local level. The HMICFRS report found the Met had made some improvements since the Port case, but that many of the officers responding to deaths were still “inexperienced, untrained and poorly supervised”. “They have not learned enough from the failings of eight years ago, and starkly, what went wrong there could happen again,” Parr said. It was commissioned after inquests in 2021 concluded that fundamental failings by the Met “probably” contributed to the deaths of Port’s last three victims. His comments came in response to a scathing report by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), which found the Met had not learned from its failings in the Port case and must urgently improve. “I couldn’t possibly put a figure on how often it happens, but it stands to reason that it happens occasionally.” “The point I’m making is if they miss, if they’re not good enough at identifying, or they’re not suspicious enough about unexpected deaths in the first place, the chance of missing the odd isolated one, or indeed, another serial killer cannot be discounted. He added: “Port went on to kill three more people they should have, frankly, had him locked up after the first murder. He said despite “glaringly obvious” similarities, officers failed to link the cases or even realise the men had been murdered at first. Parr said the murders of the last three men had been “entirely preventable” had the Met’s investigation been “competent and professional from the outset”. Port, 48, drugged, raped and murdered four men – Anthony Walgate, 23, Gabriel Kovari, 22, Daniel Whitworth, 21, and Jack Taylor, 25 – before dumping their bodies near his flat in Barking, east London, between June 2014 and September 2015.
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