CLEARED Watchdog says officers DID behave correctly at Sarah Everard vigil... where they treated women like this
PRITI Patel backed Scotland Yard’s handling of the Sarah Everard vigil last night after the policing watchdog cleared officers of wrongdoing.
The Home Secretary said police ‘acted the right way’, while the Chief Inspector of Constabulary said condemnation of heavyhanded tactics had been ‘unwarranted’.
In a thinly-veiled rebuke to London mayor Sadiq Khan – who branded officers’ behaviour ‘unacceptable’ – Sir Thomas Winsor said ‘leading voices’ had ‘jumped to conclusions’ and undermined public confidence in the police. The storm erupted after a vigil in memory of Miss Everard, 33, who vanished on her walk home in south London. Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens has been charged with her kidnap and murder.
The Duchess of Cambridge was among those who travelled to Clapham Common to pay tribute to Miss Everard on March 13. Hours later, shocking footage showed women being bundled to the ground in scenes which prompted calls from some MPs for Met Commissioner Cressida Dick to resign.
Miss Patel asked the policing watchdog to investigate, saying at the time that some of the scenes were ‘distressing’ – but Sir Thomas praised officers for acting ‘lawfully, sensitively and proportionately’ at the vigil, which resulted in nine people being fined.
His report said: ‘ The chorus of those condemning the Metropolitan Police, and calling for the resignation of the Commissioner, within hours – and presumably, with a very limited understanding of what had happened – was unwarranted. Whereas a certain degree of uninformed commentary, particularly on social media, is inevitable, in this case some of the leading voices were those in positions of some responsibility. It is one thing – as in the case of the Home Secretary – to
What Priti Patel said at the time:
Some of the footage from the vigil is upsetting. I have asked for a full report ...and yesterday:
Police acted in the right way. It’s important people don’t pre-judge without... the full facts
recognise that the scenes were worrying or upsetting. It is another to jump to conclusions – and in doing so, undermine public confidence in policing – based on very limited evidence. To do so shows a distinct lack of respect for public servants.’
Miss Patel said yesterday: ‘I stand by the police and I back the police. I know how difficult it is and has been for police during this pandemic.
‘They’ve put themselves in harm’s way throughout this entire pandemic and the sad fact of the matter is – as we saw on that night and as the report has reflected on as well, police officers were assaulted – they were subject to violent abuse.’ She said the report had shown that police ‘acted in the right way’, adding: ‘It’s important people don’t pre-judge without... the full facts. Quite frankly, I was absolutely appalled and sickened to see the level of violence that was being displayed... including violent behaviour towards female officers.’
Police chiefs had feared the vigil could be a target for terrorists. There were also concerns that the large crowds – thought to have peaked at around 1,500 people – risked spreading Covid. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary found that officers had tried to disperse the crowd peacefully and remained ‘ calm and professional’ in the face of a torrent of abuse, including from some women who said they hoped female officers would be raped.
Although the vigil started peacefully, it was ‘ overshadowed by the malign actions of a few’ after being hijacked by a rabble including Piers Corbyn, the brother of former Labour leader Jeremy.
Mr Khan had described the scenes from Clapham Common as
‘unacceptable’, adding that ‘it’s clear the response was at times neither appropriate nor proportionate’. MPs who called for Dame Cressida’s head included Sir Ed Davey, leader of the Liberal Democrats.
Yesterday Ken Marsh of the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said: ‘The knee-jerk commentary... has made the already difficult job of our colleagues in London incredibly harder. And more dangerous. These people should be ashamed.
‘This was outrageous behaviour from those who should know better and we trust as elected officials. We now call on these politicians to make themselves accountable and to apologise to our hard-working colleagues for the damage they have done.’
The watchdog’s report said the Met could have given a ‘more conciliatory response’ in the face of what was described as a ‘public relations disaster’. However, Matt Parr, who led the HMIC team, said critics ‘showed a lack of respect for public servants facing a complex situation, and undermined public confidence in policing based on very limited evidence’.
He added: ‘After reviewing a huge body of evidence – rather than a snapshot on social media – we found that there are some things the Met could have done better, but we saw nothing to suggest police officers acted in anything but a measured and proportionate way in challenging circumstances.’
Jamie Klingler of Reclaim These Streets, which planned the vigil, said the report was ‘a farce and a waste of time’. She added: ‘There’s no positive legacy. The Met has created an uphill battle for themselves. I’ve spoken to some young teenage girls about what it was like to see those pictures. They were horrified. And that means the police on the ground are going to have a much harder time getting those women to report rapes and assaults. You don’t want women to be scared to walk into local police stations.’
Mr Khan said yesterday: ‘It is my job to stand up on behalf of Londoners and ensure that there is effective scrutiny of the Metropolitan Police – particularly in the light of such widespread public dismay. I accept the report, but it is clear that trust and confidence of women and girls in the police and criminal justice system is far from adequate.’
Scotland Yard assistant commissioner Louisa Rolfe said: ‘This report makes clear the difficult circumstances officers faced as a peaceful vigil became a hostile rally. We must always be consistent in our policing of public events. I am extremely proud of the restraint, compassion and professionalism officers showed during a fastmoving and challenging situation.’