London Mayor Sadiq Khan has acknowledged that restoring public trust in the police force after the murder of Sarah Everard by off-duty police officer Wayne Couzens will take years, on the third anniversary of her death. The young marketing executive was raped and killed as she walked home in South London in 2021, with her murder bringing wider attention to the issue of violence against women and girls.
The anniversary comes just days after an inquiry found the police missed multiple opportunities to prevent Couzens from committing his crimes. The Casey Review, conducted by Lady Elish Angiolini, also concluded that the Metropolitan Police force is institutionally racist, homophobic and misogynistic, and warned that there may be other officers like Couzens still serving in the force.
Khan said that while the Met has initiated various reforms and has removed rogue officers in response, he will continue to hold the Met Police commissioner to account “delivering reforms, particularly for women and girls who have been let down for far too long”. Women’s Aid is among those who have called for “real accountability” for the police to restore confidence among women, which is reportedly at an all-time low.
In response to the Angiolini inquiry, Home Secretary James Cleverly announced a policy whereby police officers charged with certain types of crime would be automatically suspended in future. The Labour Party has also pledged that it would overhaul police vetting procedures and introduce compulsory violence against women and girls training for all police officers
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