Met Commissioner criticises criminal justice system after Levy case
Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley criticised the criminal justice system following the Simon Levy case, highlighting systemic failures that allowed Levy to commit further crimes.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Sir Mark Rowley, has said the case of double murderer and sex offender Simon Levy shows that the rule of law is in a very precarious state. Levy was jailed for life yesterday for the murder of two women and the rape of a third. Sir Mark apologised for mistakes made by his force in handling the case, but also criticised a lack of funding for the police, prisons and courts.
He described a systematic disinvestment by successive governments in the agencies that keep communities safe. He said the whole system is struggling and that the risk eventually lands in communities, so people say the police need to deal with it, but we need to be realistic about what is achievable.
His comments have provoked a response. The BBC's investigations correspondent noted that Sir Mark was accepting some failings but also being defensive. He said that with the first murder, the police could not really have got a murder charge, even though they did not treat it as a murder. They did not actually seek a charge from the Crown Prosecution Service at the time.
Sir Mark also criticised the Crown Prosecution Service, saying it was not taking on the offence of assaulting an emergency worker, which includes police officers, and was not putting it into the Crown Court. He said this was because the CPS unilaterally downgraded the offence to save money and time. The head of the CPS responded, saying he was deeply disappointed in Sir Mark Rowley and that his comments were incorrect.
The row comes in the context of the Levy case, where a number of institutions have failed. The exchange highlights tensions between the police and the prosecution service over how the justice system is operating.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC News | BBC One |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Mark Rowley criticised a lack of funding for police, prisons and courts, calling it systematic disinvestment by successive governments. | ||
| Sir Mark Rowley said the Levy case indicates the rule of law is in a precarious state. | ||
| The head of the CPS said Sir Mark Rowley's claim was incorrect and expressed deep disappointment. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This channel focused on Sir Mark Rowley's criticism of the criminal justice system and his defensive stance on the Levy case, while also reporting the CPS's rebuttal. It highlighted the systemic failures and the political row that followed, with a correspondent providing context on the police's handling of the first murder.
- “This is a systematic disinvestment by successive governments in the agencies that keep communities safe, police, prisons, courts, etc.”
- “The head of the CPS this afternoon saying he's deeply disappointed in Sir Mark Rowley.”
- “He said that what Sir Mark Rowley said is incorrect and he wanted to correct it.”
This channel presented the same report as the BBC One West broadcast, with identical content. It emphasised Sir Mark Rowley's criticism of the criminal justice system and the subsequent dispute with the Crown Prosecution Service, while also noting the police's own admitted failings in the Levy case.
- “This is a systematic disinvestment by successive governments in the agencies that keep communities safe, police, prisons, courts, etc.”
- “The head of the CPS this afternoon saying he's deeply disappointed in Sir Mark Rowley.”
- “He said that what Sir Mark Rowley said is incorrect and he wanted to correct it.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.