A whistleblower has spoken out about what she believes is a culture of silence around reporting wrondoing in the Metropolitan Police.
Issy Vine, 31, joined the force in 2020 as a 999 call handler, seeing it as a way into policing.
Then, in April 2023, a colleague made a series of deeply offensive and racist remarks during a shift, and reportedly followed her home from work.
Vine reported him the next morning but claimed that, despite her report, she was expected to continue working alongside him for a week with no action taken.
Vine said: “It went downhill from there … I had a breakdown.
“It got to a point where I had to get my friends to check if he was still sitting there so I could go and have a break.”
The colleague was dismissed following a hearing six months later, but he was rehired within months.
Vine believes the system discourages people from coming forward and there is no safe way to report wrongdoing.
“It is not an isolated incident – my case is the least bad out of all of them.”
“I know that people after me had experienced things and said ‘well, look at Issy’s case, he got his job back – I’m not even going to bother.’
“They say they have hotlines, but once you report a concern they say they can’t keep you anonymous, then it’s just weeks and weeks of waiting whilst you’re expected to carry on as normal.”
The personal cost to Vine has been significant as well.
She later resigned, losing her financial security and sense of safety.
Vine said: “I never trusted people before, but I thought I could trust the police.
“Now, I don’t even have that.”
After leaving, Vine founded Speak Up Now UK to share her experience with the public and help those in a similar situation.
She said: “I joined the police to help people, but since leaving, I’m helping more people by outing the police.”
Vine also described the environment as heavily micromanaged, with handlers measured by strict call time statistics.
She said: “The first couple of years were really rewarding and insightful to help people in a moment of need.”
Vine recalled getting into trouble after spending 45 minutes with a suicidal caller.
She added: “But you can’t just hang up on someone who wants to kill themselves.”
Metropolitan Police Commander Caroline Haines insisted the force remain open to speaking with Vine to address her concerns.
Cmdr Haines said: “We take Ms Vine’s concerns about the outcome of the misconduct process extremely seriously.
“We acknowledge that it will have caused her significant distress and will be of concern to Londoners.
“Staff members deserve to feel safe and supported at work, and the Met continues to encourage everyone who works for us to report allegations of criminal and conduct behaviour.”
Feature image: Issy Vine
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