File photo dated 04/07/11 of President of the Association of Chief Police Officers Sir Hugh Orde PIC: John Giles/PA Wire

One of Britain’s top policemen insists allegations of racism and corruption in the Metropolitan Police must be “robustly” dealt with.

Sir Hugh Orde, the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers was speaking as allegations of corruption surfaced in the investigation by the Met into the racist murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence, 19 years ago.

“Is this an endemically racist police service - no it isn’t. Will you get individuals who behave way outside the bounds of respectability, yes you will,” Sir Hugh said.

“You have to do deal with it very robustly, very quickly and very effectively, and my sense is that is what the Met commissioner is doing. ...I don’t think there is endemic or institutional racism in policing.”

Sir Hugh said the police were not institutionally corrupt.

A Met commander probing Lawrence’s murder was alleged to have a relationship with M25 killer Kenneth Noye. No criminal or misconduct charges were brought following a internal investigation by Scotland Yard.

It was also alleged another Scotland Yard officer, who interviewed the suspects following Stephen’s killing, had links to Clifford Norris.

“The best indicator of corrupt cops for me - do we prosecute police officers for speeding? All the time. You ask cops in other countries if they’d prosecute another cop for speeding, they’d look at you in abject horror,” said Sir Hugh