RACIAL justice campaigners have written to the head of the Metropolitan Police over concerns that the recently announced plans to overhaul the force are a “missed opportunity” to do things differently.

In an open letter to Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley co-ordinated by the Runnymede Trust, groups including Inquest and Stopwatch hit out at the “continued refusal to acknowledge the institutional nature of racism within the Met.”

The £366 million two-year “A New Met for London” scheme was launched last week as the force tries to rebuild its reputation following a series of scandals and the Casey review, which found it was racist, misogynist and homophobic.

It includes an increased emphasis on neighbourhood policing, moving 240 officers from central to local teams, and using terrorist-style tactics to catch predators targeting women.

But the letter called for a “more comprehensive plan,” with “clearly codified channels of engagement and accountability that addresses the issue of institutional racism head-on and reflects a genuine commitment to positive change within the Metropolitan Police Service.”

They said they find it “regrettable that you have persisted in offering an apology to our communities without accepting Casey’s core finding that the Metropolitan Police Service is institutionally racist.”

Following the report in March, Sir Mark said he would not use the term “institutional” and said he needed to use language “that’s unambiguous and is apolitical.”

But the groups stated in their letter that this was “a missed opportunity for the Met to signal that it intends to do things differently and acknowledge where the wrongdoing is rooted.”

They said the continued refusal to acknowledge institutional racism highlights the “disconnect with the levels of hurt, anger and intergenerational trauma felt by communities.”

It comes as a report by the Independent Office for Police Conduct said today that the number of deaths in or following police custody has seen a “concerning” increase over the past year.

The 23 deaths are the highest since 2017-18, the watchdog said, and include Chris Kaba — a black man who was shot by a Met officer — and Oladeji Omishore, who fell into the Thames after being tasered multiple times.

Inquest spokeswoman Lucy McKay said: “Inquests and investigations [into these deaths] uncover issues of institutional racism, disproportionate use of force, and neglect of people in need of care, not custody.”