From police brutality in the United States, to an 'institutionally sexist, racist and homophobic' police in the UK, policing faces an uncertain future. Professor Mike Hough offers his insight into the damning Casey Review as a missed opportunity to engage with key issues, and proposes how a better engagement with procedural justice and combatting ‘warrior mentality’ might restore legitimacy.

The Casey Review of the MPS was commissioned in the wake of the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer, Wayne Couzens. It is clearly an important and valuable document. However, it fails to use a rich research literature which addresses the legitimacy of policing through the lens of procedural justice theory. Its analysis of the problems of the Met is sharp and accurate, and I hope it will prove helpful in the process of reforming and rebuilding the Met. It has significant recommendations about organisational changes that are needed. The following comments are not intended to detract from its value, but to suggest ways in which its impact can be enhanced. Attending to the findings of procedural justice theory would permit greater specificity and clarity in proposals for rebuilding trust in the Met.