Met backed over handling of vigil
BRITAIN’S biggest police force has been backed over its handling of the Sarah Everard vigil, although inspectors said the event was a PR disaster that damaged public confidence.
Watchdog Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found that Metropolitan Police officers were not heavy-handed and remained “calm and professional” as crowds gathered on March 13.
Inspectors were called in by Home Secretary Priti Patel and London Mayor Sadiq Khan to examine the force’s actions after women who attended the event on Clapham Common, south London, were bundled to the ground and arrested.
The ugly scenes attracted an outpouring of criticism on social media.
But the inspectors found that officers at the event did their best to peacefully disperse the crowd, remained calm and professional when subjected to abuse, and did not act inappropriately or in a heavyhanded manner. They said it was unrealistic to hold a Covid-safe event in light of the numbers of people who would attend and the short time available to plan the vigil.
While broadly supportive of the handling of the event, HMICFRS found there was insufficient communication between police commanders about changing events on the ground. The Silver Commander was not told about the arrival of anti-lockdown campaigner Piers Corbyn, when a public address system was put up on the bandstand, or warned that the Duchess of Cambridge would be paying her respects.
The watchdog also found that the force should have adopted “a more conciliatory response” amid criticism after the event.
It said: “The media coverage of this incident led to what many will conclude was a public relations disaster for the Metropolitan Police.”
The report went on: “We heard the Metropolitan Police’s response to events described as ‘tone deaf’; we acknowledge that a more conciliatory response might have served the force’s interests better.”
Organisers Reclaim These Streets cancelled their vigil planned on Clapham Common on March 13. But crowds attended anyway, leading to clashes between police and protesters who had gathered near the bandstand.
Matt Parr, Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary, who led the inspection team, said: “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.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said that he accepted the report, but added: “It is clear that trust and confidence of women and girls in the police and criminal justice system is far from adequate. The events of the weekend of March 13 and 14 have done further damage to this and show that much more needs to be done.”