As we approach three years since the murder of Sarah Everard, a case that still grips media headlines, has much really changed?
Sarah Everard – a name that will echo across Britain for decades to come as a stark reminder of the epidemic that is violence against women and girls.
Her murder, at the hands of serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, not only exposed the extent of the issue but also reinforced the level of police brutality throughout the Met.
March 2021 was a difficult time to be a woman in the UK, following the news that 33-year-old Sarah left a friend’s house in Clapham Common, London and never made it home. Couzens, an off-duty officer who was found guilty of her abduction, rape and murder was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of release.
The Angiolini Inquiry, in response to Sarah’s murder three years on reinforced what was already clear: a fundamental change in policing is essential in tackling violence against women and girls. The inquiry was appointed to investigate how Couzens had the opportunity to commit such an abhorrent crime and understand where the police failed.
Multiple failings were highlighted in the report, including serious failures in the vetting process of Couzens, missed opportunities to act upon inappropriate behaviours including allegations of sexual misconduct and indecent exposure, as well as a misogynistic culture in policing.
The findings confirmed that numerous ‘red flags’ surrounding Couzens were ignored and or missed, with allegations of a predatory nature dating back to before his career began, some 20 years ago.
In a statement from Sarah’s family responding to the inquiry, they said: “Warning signs were overlooked throughout his career and opportunities to confront him were missed. We believe that Sarah died because he was a police officer – she would never have got into a stranger’s car.”
The launch of the government’s latest strategy plan Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) brought hope that these failings would be addressed, though incidents over the past year have only revealed how Sarah’s case is not an isolated one.
Last year it was reported that 1,151 police officers were under investigation for cases of sexual misconduct and domestic abuse allegations, of which 400 were still able to serve as normal. This comes after cases like those of David Carrick and Cliff Mitchell continue to reinforce there are serious problems with vetting procedures across UK police forces.
In October 2021, Carrick, a former police officer and serial rapist, was sentenced to at least 30 years in prison for 49 offences of rape and sexual misconduct against 12 women, during his time serving as a firearms officer. Carrick was reported eight times to the police for sexual misconduct, though none were investigated until his arrest in 2021.
In May 2024, Mitchell, a serving officer, was found guilty of 10 counts of rape, three of which were perpetrated against girls under the age of 13. One count was said to have involved holding his victim at knifepoint whilst proceeding to kidnap, tie up and rape her. This comes after an investigation in 2017 when Mitchell was accused of a previous rape, yet no action was taken.
Levels of misconduct have been so alarming in recent years, that it is a concern that many officers appear to be hiding in plain sight. Despite Home Secretary Yvette Cooper declaring an “overhaul” in vetting measures, cases of inappropriate and predatory behaviour continue to surface.
Operation Assure, a new process to review the vetting of serving officers and staff should concerns arise, was launched in April 2023 after the Met Police revealed that it was unlawful to automatically sack a police officer who failed vetting checks.
The new process would mean that officers who had their vetting clearance withdrawn would lead to a hearing of ‘gross incompetence’ with the hope that they would be dismissed.
However, the recent High Court ruling has left the police in “a hopeless position” as Sir Mark Rowley, Chief Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police explains: “We now have no mechanism to rid the Met of officers who were not fit to hold vetting – those who cannot be trusted to work with women, or those who cannot be trusted to enter the homes of vulnerable people.”
The ruling comes after Sergeant Lino Di Maria launched a court case against the decision to have his vetting checks revoked after allegations of sexual assault.
With trust amongst women already taking a huge hit in recent years, this ruling only continues to spark more concerns about trust in the police.
A YouGov study conducted shortly after Sarah’s murder showed that 47% of women felt that they could no longer trust the police. Additionally, 53% of women felt that there has not been much progress in addressing problems of sexism and misogyny among police officers over the last year, and a quarter of women have less trust in their ability to do so.
Despite being nearly a year on from the launch of the Angiolini enquiry, there are yet to be crucial responses made to its findings in order to rebuild trust.
Patsy Stevenson, campaigner and equal rights activist, alongside her friend Dania Al-Obeid, was one of the hundreds of women in attendance at the candlelit vigil held on Clapham Common, in the wake of Sarah’s death in March 2021.
When the gathering was intended to provide the platform for standing against abuse of power at the hands of the police, the last thing she expected was to fall victim to this herself.
Images circulating on an international scale of Patsy being pinned down to the ground and arrested caused an “extreme turn of events” that has proved an exhausting and traumatic process.
Finally awarded a “half-assed” apology and compensation two years later, Patsy continues to speak out against police brutality and the difficult experience she endured.
Speaking about how she did not fully understand the extent of police brutality before this experience, Patsy explains how she wishes she “had done more” at the time, and that “people do not [necessarily] understand it because they do not think that it will happen to them.”
“You cannot trust police officers and you cannot trust the government. It’s not some big conspiracy theory; it is genuinely based on evidence and a long history of police abusing their power.”
At a time when the police are carrying more of a negative reputation than a positive when it comes to addressing violence against women and girls. “I constantly think about where police have done something right, and yes on the rare occasion they do some things right, but it should not be a rare occasion, it should be consistent,” Patsy continued.
“There are so many things that men can get away with because the police do not do anything about it.”
Furthermore, there is a clear lack of accountability from police on a systematic level in these instances: “It is not anyone else’s job to hold police to account, they need to be doing that by themselves,” Patsy added.
“I constantly think about where police have done something right, and yes on the rare occasion they do some things right, but it should not be a rare occasion, it should be consistent.”
Patsy Stevenson
Over the two years that followed the vigil, Patsy was hounded by thousands of death threats, and instances of harassment and stalking. The worst comments were reported to the police, including “vile and violent” threats of kidnap and murder, and despite receiving unwarranted Facebook calls, these threats were generally ignored with minimal police response.
“I got thousands of death threats and not one of them was looked into. If I can’t get that done [in the situation I was in], then no one can.”
If further cases and new statistics are anything to go by, it seems not much has changed since Sarah’s murder and there is still a long way to go rebuilding the trust between women and the police. The culture across forces in the UK continues to be largely misogynistic, despite the Angiolini inquiry outlining a pattern of concerning behaviour.
A former police officer for Merseyside Police, who has chosen to remain anonymous, has argued that whilst these enquiries are being supported, very little action is being taken in addressing the findings.
“There is enquiry after enquiry after enquiry. The issue for me is you can release these reports, but if you are not doing anything about the findings, then there is no point in even asking for them to be done,” she told Artefact.
“You can train people all you like, but unless you address the culture that allows these behaviours to thrive within it, then we are just going around in circles.”
One of the most striking experiences she recalls was shortly after Sarah was murdered, explaining that responses from senior officers were a cause for concern.
“Dame Cressida Dick [one of the most senior officers in the Metropolitan Police] came out and said if people did not feel safe [around officers], they should flag a bus down. This is one of the most senior officers in the whole of the Met, and she is telling women to flag a bus down. How can you go on national TV and say that this is what women who have lost trust in the police should do?”
The extent of misogyny and racism she experienced personally within the force, is what pushed her resignation, emphasising that even after she ‘whistle blew’ on their misogynistic attitudes, she was still “witnessing it on a daily basis.”
“It is just such a normalised part of policing culture, and when this is the case, it is almost like they cannot see the problem. So how can they possibly come up with a solution?”
Former Merseyside Police Officer
However, this culture is not something that is hidden and it is not unknown. The issue, as she explains, is even when you are around a police station, you cannot walk more than five minutes without witnessing some form of harassment or inappropriate behaviour, this ‘locker room’ culture as she puts it.
“It is just such a normalised part of policing culture, and when this is the case, it is almost like they cannot see the problem. So how can they possibly come up with a solution?”
The reality is that when women cannot trust the police, which the latest figures reveal is the case, as a quarter of women have lost trust in the police’s ability to tackle violence against women and girls (YouGov), then how can they be assured their safety?
The sad reality is that it has taken the most atrocious murder of a young woman to highlight that police brutality is very much there, and it is a huge problem.
When the police, whose sole purpose is to protect, are largely the problem then the UK have a long way to go in tackling violence against women and girls.
Featured image by Angela Christofilou