British Police Force Allowed Once-Alleged Rapist To Join Because They Wanted Less White Officers, Review Finds

Even an allegation of child rape can be overlooked if you’re “diverse” enough, it seems. 

Cliff Mitchell applied to join the the United Kingdom’s Metropolitan Police Service in 2020, but was denied after “the vetting process flagged up a previous allegation of raping a child in 2017,” reports the LBC, a UK-based news program. (RELATED: ‘Treated As A Slave’: Horrifying Details Emerge About Massive UK Rape Scandal) 

“However, a vetting panel, made up partly of senior officers, overturned the decision because the force wanted to improve the number of officers from ethnic minorities.”

Serial rapist Metropolitan Police officer allowed to join the force ‘because of drive to improve diversity’https://t.co/KDDtk0zgWo

— LBC (@LBC) January 8, 2026

As an officer, Mitchell would allegedly go on to “carry out a ‘campaign of rape’ against two victims, including a child under the age of 13,” according to the LBC. He raped those victims for over a decade, according to the Crown Prosecution Service, and was convicted of 13 counts of rape. He was reportedly sentenced to life imprisonment in May 2024 with a minimum term of 14 years. 

This is what a “less white people at any cost” quota gets you. 

Mitchell “subjected one victim to a frightening and horrific ordeal” in September 2023, when he “attended her address, in breach of a court order, and violently raped her. This included placing a knife to her throat and threatening her family if she tried to get help. Prior to leaving the property, he blindfolded her and tied her wrists with cable ties before forcing her into his car at knifepoint,” says the Crown Prosecution Service. 

“Mitchell had used his position as a police officer to intimidate the victim. He told her that no one would believe her if she reported him to the police because of his position.” 

Another example to add to the list of ‘crimes enabled by anti-racism’.

These things need to be catalogued and made into an official inquiry. ‘How anti-racism harmed Britain’. Look at grooming gangs, cases like these, corruption, terrorism. It’s a long list. https://t.co/2SZy4baJOM

— Will Solfiac (@willsolfiac) January 9, 2026

I’m reminded of testimony from some Rotherham women who were sexually abused as children by adult men. Five told the BBC in 2025 that they were also abused by police officers, one claiming an officer “would threaten to hand her back to the gang if she did not comply.” 

Mitchell is among the 131 officers and staff at the Metropolitan Police who were “not properly vetted and went on to commit criminal offences and misconduct,” the LBC claims. The review of vetting processes reportedly looked at the decade between 2013 and 2023. (RELATED: UK Jury Convicts Seven Men Of Years-Long Sexual Abuse Of Two Girls) 

“In publishing this report today, we are being open and transparent about past vetting and recruitment practices that led, in some cases, to unsuitable people joining the Met,” said Assistant Commissioner Rachel Williams, according to the LBC.

How about an apology before patting yourself on the back? “Unsuitable” doesn’t really suffice to describe a man who allegedly used his position to rape a child.

Follow Natalie Sandoval on X: @NatSandovalDC