The Metropolitan Police has been warned it risks causing miscarriages of justice after issuing officers with guidance on "inappropriate" language to avoid in reports used by senior officers and CPS lawyers when deciding whether to prosecute. Critics, including former CPS chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal, argue the 14-page "Language Matters Guidance" pushes officers away from neutral, impartial record-keeping and towards a "believe-the-victim" approach reminiscent of the disastrous Operation Midland inquiry, in which innocent public figures were wrongly investigated on the word of fantasist Carl Beech.

The guidance, drawn up in response to a critical HM Inspectorate of Constabulary report accusing the force of victim-blaming language, tells officers to avoid phrases such as describing a victim as "rude and dismissive" or noting they refused to hand over a phone, associate with gangs or deal drugs, offering "preferred" alternative wording instead. Afzal warned that instructions to drop the word "alleged" or refer to an unproven suspect as "the perpetrator" erode the impartial record needed for a fair trial, echoing concerns raised by Sir Richard Henriques after Operation Midland. Ex-MP Harvey Proctor, who received a £900,000 payout over the Met's bungled Beech inquiry, called the guidance a "charter for police wrongdoing," while the Met said it was acting on inspectorate recommendations and remained committed to preventing a repeat of past errors.