CHANGES MUST BE MADE TO REGAIN PUBLIC CONFIDENCE
While the majority of the nation has long been deeply grateful for the tough job the police do, a recent series of offences committed by the very people who have sworn to protect us means there has never been a more critical time when it comes to regaining the public’s trust.
Since then-serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens’ arrest for the abduction and murder of Sarah Everard in March 2021, which caused nationwide outrage and sparked calls for radical change, a further 145 officers and counting have been convicted of serious crimes. These include David Carrick, convicted of 24 counts of rape; Hussain Chehab, jailed for a string of child sexual abuse offences; Cliff Mitchell, convicted of multiple counts of rape; and Isaque Rodrigues-Leite, jailed for abuse against his wife. A number of others have been charged and suspended since the beginning of 2024.
Shockingly, more than 300 officers have been reported for rape and 500 for sexual assault over the past five years, and with at least one police officer accused of rape every week, it shows a significant proportion of the people we’re depending on to keep us safe and protected are failing in that duty. So, what’s going on –and what can be done to stop it?
GRIM FINDINGS
The independent Angiolini Inquiry, headed by Lady Elish A ngiolini, was commissioned by then-Home Secretary Priti Patel in November 2021 to look at the circumstances that led to Couzens abducting, raping and murdering Sarah Everard. Part one was released in February this year, with the second part –examining rapist Carrick, and addressing broader issues in respect of policing and the protection of women –due by 2025.
“Since Sarah’s murder, public trust and confidence in policing has deteriorated further,” Lady Elish said. “Every day during the Inquiry, Isaw shocking press reports from around the country about sexual offending by police officers. This case has left astain on the reputation of the police service and damaged the social contract on which British policing is based.” She recommended aradical and immediate overhaul of police vetting and recruitment. “Now is the time for change. Without asignificant overhaul, there is nothing to stop another Couzens from operating in plain sight,” she said.
Lady Angiolini’s report found that Couzens, 51 –who was handed a whole life term –should never have been in the position that he was in. A “predatory sex offender”, whose nickname was reportedly “The Rapist”, “red flags” over his behaviour were repeatedly overlooked throughout his nearly 20-year-long career with Kent Police, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and the Met. These included indecent exposure,
