Doreen Lawrence backs duty on police to disclose phone data | Doreen Lawrence

Police officers under investigation for discipline offences should have to hand over data from their personal mobile phones, Doreen Lawrence has said.

Concerns have been raised that government attempts to streamline and reform the system for rooting out bad officers are too slow and being delayed.

The government supports dismissing officers who fail vetting procedures and giving chief constables greater powers to sack officers, instead of reserving them for independent chairs of discipline panels, after claims that they are too lenient.

Lady Lawrence has spent decades campaigning for justice after the Metropolitan police bungled the investigation into the murder of her son Stephen, who he was stabbed to death by a racist gang in 1993.

Lawrence said she supported the creation of “a ‘duty to handover’ to obtain relevant information from an officer’s personal phone during a misconduct investigation”.

Stephen Lawrence’s murder and the campaign led by his parents prompted the Macpherson inquiry, which found police failings and institutional racism.

In February, a review of the Met by Louise Casey found major failings by Britain’s biggest force as well as institutional racism, misogyny and homophobia. No officer has faced any sanction despite the failings in the Stephen Lawrence case.

Lawrence, a Labour peer, said: “Thirty years later, the Casey review into the Metropolitan police service has found that many of the same issues persist, with the Metropolitan police remaining institutionally racist.

“Baroness Casey also highlighted the many changes needed to help rebuild trust and confidence in the Metropolitan police service, and the processes for the dismissal of officers are key to delivering that aim.

“I remain profoundly concerned about the slow pace of reforms to the national regulations and I believe this concern is shared across the political spectrum.

“Vital changes to the legislative framework are needed to empower police chiefs and give them the tools they need to take fair and effective action to remove anyone falling short of the high standards the public rightly expect of the police.

“For the Metropolitan police to truly reform and to gain the trust and confidence of London’s diverse communities, we must see urgent changes to police misconduct and performance legislation.”

Lawrence supports plans drafted by Labour’s Harriet Harman and the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, which were unveiled two months ago.

The home secretary, Suella Braverman, is yet to respond to the proposals, a spokesperson for the mayor said.

Urging the home secretary to take action, Lawrence said: “I have sadly felt the institutional failings of the Metropolitan police service first-hand and we must work together so other Londoners are not failed by those who seek to protect them.”

Lawrence also supports measures including sacking officers convicted of serious criminal offences, suspending those charged with a serious criminal offence, dismissing those who fail vetting, introducing a duty of candour and handing greater powers to chief constables to reopen misconduct investigations.

Police chiefs believe reforms are needed and have lobbied the Home Office for changes, but the Police Federation, which represents most officers, has concerns.

Some of the most far-reaching changes will require parliament to pass new laws and some worry that the reforms will not be completed before a general election is called by late 2024.

Officials declined to say when the plans would be unveiled and a Home Office spokesperson said: “Officers who fall seriously short of the standards expected have no place in our police and we must ensure they can be dismissed as swiftly as possible.

“Culture and standards in policing must improve. We recognise the importance of swiftly and diligently identifying where improvements can be made to the police dismissals process and will look to conclude the review as soon as practicable.”

Khan said: “Government proposals promised long ago still haven’t materialised. The public and those thousands of decent officers are being let down.”