Racist Graffiti at Charing Cross Police Station Sparks Fresh Scrutiny of the Met

By FeroTV News Desk

When racist graffiti — including the N-word — appeared inside a staff-only toilet at Charing Cross police station last week, the Metropolitan Police were quick to label it a “hate crime” and promise an investigation. But for Black Londoners, this wasn’t just another headline. It was confirmation of what many have known for years: the problem isn’t a few “bad apples.” It’s the culture.

The Same Station, the Same Story

Charing Cross isn’t new to scandal. Just two years ago, a watchdog report exposed a string of vile racist, sexist, and homophobic messages shared by officers inside the same station. Promises were made. Trust was supposed to be rebuilt. And yet, here we are.

For communities who live with the day-to-day reality of over-policing, stop-and-search, and disproportionate arrests, this graffiti isn’t shocking. It’s exhausting.

Voices from the Community

“This is why we don’t feel safe — not even in the places that are meant to protect us,” says Ayo, a community organiser in South London. “If officers are using this kind of language behind closed doors, what do you think is happening on the street?”

Social media lit up with frustration after the story broke. Many pointed out the irony: graffiti is being investigated as a hate crime, yet institutional racism within the force itself has been repeatedly excused or downplayed.

A Broken Relationship

The Met insists it’s committed to rooting out racism. But London’s Black community has heard these words before. From the Macpherson Report in the late ’90s — which first branded the Met “institutionally racist” — to Baroness Casey’s review in 2023, the story has barely changed.

Reform after reform has been promised. Progress has been pledged. But incidents like this one show how fragile that progress really is.

Beyond Graffiti

This isn’t just about words on a bathroom wall. It’s about what those words represent: a policing culture that too often sees Blackness as a threat instead of a community to serve.

Until that culture shifts — not in press statements, but in practice — Black Londoners will continue to live with distrust. And the Met will keep struggling to answer the same question: how can you protect a community that doesn’t believe you value its lives?