Sarah Everard – latest: PM says police have ‘problem’ handling violence against women amid outrage at advice
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson said “there is a problem” with the way cases of violence against women and girls are handled.
His interview with broadcasters came amid debates over how Wayne Couzens – who used his police powers to kidnap, rape and murder Sarah Everard – was allowed to become and remain a Metropolitan Police officer.
Mr Johnson said: “I do think that we can trust the police. And I think the police do a wonderful, wonderful job.
“But there is a problem. And there is a problem in the way we handle rape, domestic violence, sexual violence and the way we handle the complaints of women and girls. It’s overwhelmingly women and girls.”
He added: “The problem is we have too few prosecutions for rape and too few successful prosecutions, too few convictions.
“Yesterday I got together the crime and justice taskforce, again, and what we’re trying to do is compress that timetable between a woman’s complaint about what has happened and any action, whether it’s the court proceeding, or the conviction, or whatever.
“Because the time from report to referral, from referral to the court proceedings, from court proceedings to the conclusion, all three of those segments is far too long.
“And what you’re seeing is the whole system snarled up with evidential problems, with data issues, with mobile phones disclosure, all that kind of stuff, and it’s a nightmare for the women concerned. So we’ve got to fix it.”
‘Widespread sexism’ within Metropolitan Police, claims former senior officer
A former senior Scotland Yard officer has claimed there is "widespread sexism" within the Metropolitan Police.
Liberal Democrat Lord Paddick, who was a deputy assistant commissioner in the force, said police officers in the Met are "concerned that things may be going backwards rather than forwards".
He said women are safe with the "overwhelming majority" of police officers, adding that there is a need for police leaders who recognise problems with prejudice in the police service and are prepared to address them.
Lord Paddick said there needs to be a "cultural change", particularly in the Met, telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "There's been a series of allegations recently in the Metropolitan Police about inappropriate behaviour by Metropolitan Police officers, and for me that's a sign of a wider cultural problem.
“I wouldn’t go so far as to call it institutional misogyny, but I would describe it as widespread sexism within the force, and we need police leaders to acknowledge prejudice within the police service, and who are prepared to do something about it.”
Police must work ‘much harder’ to win back trust, says minister
Police forces across the country will have to work “much harder” to win back public trust after the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Met officer, the policing minister has said.
Kit Malthouse said the case had struck a “devastating blow to the confidence that people have in police officers”, and he warned thousands of officers will need to do more so trust can be rebuilt.
The Metropolitan Police said it will no longer deploy plain clothes officers on their own after the Old Bailey heard Wayne Couzens used Covid lockdown rules and showed his warrant card to falsely arrest Ms Everard before going on to rape and murder her.
Trust in police ‘not going to be built back overnight’, says Jess Phillips
Jess Phillips, shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, said trust in police is “not going to be built back overnight”.
She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It is going to be built up if we see the government and police forces starting to actually take violence against women and girls, and the complaints that women make day in, day out, seriously.”
She added: “This is a conversation where women have been saying for some time, even before the death of Sarah Everard, that they don’t feel that they are trusted by the police when they speak up or that violence and crime against them is prioritised.”
Ms Phillips said she felt for the “really brilliant” police officers all across the country.
Metropolitan Police’s plan to protest women and girls
The Metropolitan Police are investigating whether Wayne Couzens committed more crimes before he kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah Everard as the force vowed to make the streets safer for women and girls.
The Met announced it will no longer deploy plain clothes officers on their own after the sentencing hearing was told Couzens had used lockdown rules to falsely arrest Ms Everard during the abduction.
The force has also promised to publish a new strategy for tackling violence against women and girls, outlining how it will prioritise action against sexual and violent predatory offenders.
The Met said their new strategy will accompany a Predatory Offender Unit which, since last November, has resulted in the arrests of more than 2,000 suspects for domestic abuse, sex offences, and child abuse.
The 650 new officers will be deployed into busy public places, “including those where women and girls often lack confidence that they are safe”, according to the force.
The Met have also promised to “step up” patrols and provide an increased police presence in areas identified as “hotspot” locations for violence and harassment.
Tackling violence against women and girls ‘should be priority’ for forces
All police forces should prioritise tackling domestic abuse and crimes of sexual violence, campaigners have said, amid calls for the government to launch an inquiry after Sarah Everard's murder.
The Domestic Abuse Commissioner Nicole Jacobs called on ministers to do more to address what has been described as an epidemic of crime against women and girls.
Policing minister Kit Malthouse came under fire for suggesting it was up to local areas to decide whether violence against women and girls is a serious crime.
Jess Phillips, Labour’s shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding, branded policing minister Kit Malthouse’s comments an “insult” on Twitter, adding: “Imagine him saying that about Terrorism - do it if you want.”
While Ms Jacobs tweeted: “The case could not be clearer. The Govt must explicitly include Violence Against Women & Girls in the serious violence duty in the #PolicingBill. Domestic abuse + sexual violence must be strategic priorities for all forces.”
Dorset Police officer sacked over relationship with vulnerable woman
A police officer has been sacked for having a relationship with a vulnerable woman, with the hearing coinciding with the sentencing of Pc Wayne Couzens.
Pc Sean Ford, who served with Dorset Police, began the relationship with the woman having taken a statement from her in connection with a police investigation.
He had known the woman for several years prior to the incident.
Following a disciplinary hearing, was found guilty of gross misconduct and dismissed following a disciplinary hearing.
Cressida Dick has failed to acknowledge misogyny in the Met – she must resign
In the wake of the whole life sentence for former Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens for the rape and murder of Sarah Everard, the Met released a statement which illustrated just how little they are doing to tackle misogyny in their ranks.
The statement read: “The full horrific details of Couzens’ crimes are deeply concerning and raise entirely legitimate questions. This is the most horrific of crimes, but we recognise this is part of a much bigger and troubling picture.” But any suggestion that lessons have been learned were dashed in the next sentence: “‘There have been other horrific murders of women in public spaces, including the killings of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry, and very recently of Sabina Nessa. All of these bring into sharp focus our urgent duty to do more to protect women and girls.”
Maria Norris has more here:
Opinion: Cressida Dick must resign for failing to acknowledge misogyny in the Met
Having women in positions of power is no guarantee of safety or progress, if their actions perpetuate and uphold the structures and systems that hurt marginalised people
Woman arrested at Sarah Everard vigil says police advice ‘almost laughable'
Patsy Stevenson, who was arrested at the vigil for Sarah Everard in March, said the Metropolitan Police's suggestions of knocking on a door for help or waving a bus down were "almost laughable if it wasn't so disgusting".
Ms Stevenson told the PA news agency: "I feel like they are just clutching at straws, because the advice isn't relevant. It's like a distraction because, number one, in that situation, you can't just stop and hail down a bus or a taxi or something.
"Can you imagine the distrust that people have right now where they have to protect themselves from the police in that manner? That is shocking."
She said if someone had done something illegal it is the police giving them permission to run off, adding: "It doesn't make any sense. It's like an irrelevant piece of advice. So I feel like it reads more like a distraction for them to seem like they're dealing with the issue, because they could have been enacting change for ages now, but they haven't, and they're still not doing it, they're just putting out a statement to quieten people down."
Labour calls for inquiry after Sarah Everard’s murder
Labour’s shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds has called for an inquiry following Sarah Everard’s murder.
He told the BBC: “We must have action. The government needs to appoint a full, independent inquiry to look at how on earth it was that the perpetrator… slipped the net, it seems, not just once but on a number of occasions.”
He said an inquiry should look at structure of vetting of officers and examine “the wider culture of violence against women and girls”.
Labour has said it would create a new offence for street harassment, and wants a “victims law” to give victims greater in the judicial process.
Mr Thomas-Symonds added: “The answer to this can’t be that it’s women and girls who have to change their behaviour … This has to be a moment for powerful and systemic change.”
Met’s safety advice for women dealing with officers ‘is like an admission of guilt’
Patsy Stevenson, who was arrested at the vigil for Sarah Everard in March, said suggestions from the Metropolitan Police about interacting with police officers sound "like something from a film".
She told the PA news agency: "I feel like, as well, to say that we have to do this with police officers is just like an admission of guilt by the force that they know there's a problem."
Images of physics student Ms Stevenson being handcuffed and held down by two male officers sparked anger over Scotland Yard's policing of the gathering following Ms Everard's disappearance in south London.
She is currently involved in legal action against the Metropolitan Police over their actions at the 13 March vigil.
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