PM NO TO INQUIRY ON SARAH KILLER
»»Johnson snubs demands »»‘Re-vet all cops now’ call
BORIS Johnson has rejected calls for a full public inquiry following the murder of Sarah Everard.
There have been urgent demands for one into the Metropolitan Police’s failings to combat sexual violence after Wayne Couzens, one of its own officers, was convicted of her murder.
Instead, the PM urged women to “trust the police”.
And Johnson prompted anger by urging women to follow much-ridiculed Met advice to “flag down a passing bus” if they felt they could not trust an officer.
It appears he could be out of step with some in his own party after the tragedy.
Senior Tory MP Andrew Mitchell called for a full investigation “akin to the Stephen Lawrence inquiry” to investigate the underlying issues in forces.
While Conservative Young Women added: “We join [calls] for... a review into apparent misogyny in the police, the sharing of images of victims, and why an officer nicknamed ‘the rapist’ by fellow officers was not investigated.” As the Tories kicked off their conference in Manchester, Johnson promised: “We do need to look systemically at not just the Wayne Couzens case but the whole handling of rape, domestic violence, sexual violence and female complaints about harassment.”
He suggested probes by the Met and the Independent Office for Police Conduct were the priority instead of a full investigation into the underlying issues in the criminal justice system.
Only two per cent of reported rapes in England and Wales result in prosecution, and rape convictions are at an all-time low.
Johnson admitted that rape victims in Britain are “badly served” by the police and claimed he would “stop at nothing” to make sure more rapists ended up behind bars.
Courts face long backlogs after deep Tory cuts to the criminal justice system and Covid-linked delays. Jess Phillips, Shadow Minister for Domestic Violence, said: “It’s no surprise the PM says one thing and does absolutely nothing”.
Dame Lynne Owens, head of the National Crime Agency, tweeted: “We, in policing, need to take a long look at ourselves.”
Parm Sandhu, ex-Met chief supt, told Sky News all officers should be re-vetted and screened.
Sarah, 33, was walking home in south London, on March 3 when Couzens kidnapped, raped and murdered her.
He was handed a whole life term at the Old Bailey last week.
Couzens was said to have been “attracted to brutal sexual porn”. While the police watchdog said he had been linked to three flashing incidents.
Boris Johnson was “outraged” by a Tory police commissioner who said women “need to be streetwise”. Philip Allott apologised for the comment.
It’s no surprise the PM says one thing and does nothing JESS PHILLIPS LABOUR SHADOW