Britain’s biggest police force has asked retired detectives to return to work as it struggles to cope with the demands of the Grenfell Tower fire and the two terrorist attacks in London.
The Metropolitan Police has sent a letter to hundreds of former detectives urging them to take up their old jobs temporarily to help to solve a staffing crisis.
Craig Mackey, the deputy commissioner, said that the letter was prompted by other retired officers who had already offered to return to work after the tower-block fire and the terrorist attacks at Westminster and London Bridge.
In the letter to detective constables who have recently retired or who are on a career break, which was obtained by Sky News, Mr Mackey wrote: “The nature of the response is placing certain skills in high demand, particularly across the investigative, counterterrorism and firearms commands. If you have considered the scope for a time-limited return to the Met in any capacity — either as a police officer, civilian investigator or volunteer (either warranted or non-warranted) — we would of course be open to discussions with you.”
The response to the Grenfell Tower fire, in which at least 80 people died, is one of the most complex investigations in the force’s history. It is also facing the challenge of a rise in the number of stabbings and acid attacks at a time when it is trying to find £400 million of savings in the next three years.
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In April, it was reported that the Met had paid out more than £200 million to a single recruitment agency to rehire its own retired officers and staff.
Spending on recruitment companies for temporary staff has almost doubled in three years, with one agency setting up its own office within Scotland Yard and rehiring 77 detectives who had just retired.