ACTING Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Stephen House admitted today that problems in the force around misogyny and racism go beyond a “few bad apples.” 

Facing questions from MPs on the home affairs select committee, Sir Stephen said a significant campaign was under way to root out unacceptable behaviour in the force “as fast as possible.”

“It’s not enough to say it’s just a few bad apples,” he told MPs when questioned on workforce culture in the Met. 

“You can’t simply say that Wayne Couzens and a couple of other people have done something wrong — that’s been the spearhead of the problem, I would suggest, but there is a wider issue within the organisation which we acknowledge and we are dealing with it.”

Sir Stephen’s comments contrast with his predecessor Dame Cressida Dick, who sparked fury when she referred to Mr Couzens, who raped, abducted and murdered Sarah Everard while serving as a Met police officer, as an “occasional bad ’un.”

But the acting commissioner’s suitability for the role was also called into question by MPs over his “mixed reputation” heading Scotland Police. 

Committee member and Labour MP Diane Abbott highlighted Sir Stephen’s decision to ramp up the use of stop and search against young people during his leadership of the force. 

Sir Stephen acknowledged the racial disparity in stop-and-search powers, but claimed the tactic was necessary in the search for weapons on city streets. 

Questioned on the disturbing case of Child Q, which saw a schoolgirl strip-searched while she was on her period, Sir Stephen said the officers involved were “relatively young in service” and did not follow the guidance or training. 

Apologising for the incident, he said the force had since “stiffened” the guidance so that inspectors will now have to authorise such a search in future.