The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Call for fresh Met leadership after killing of teacher
The death of London teacher Sabina Nessa should be the “final straw” for Dame Cressida Dick’s leadership of the Metropolitan Police, an activist has said.
Anna Birley, who co-founded Reclaim These Streets, a group that has organised several vigils for murdered women in the capital, has said women do not feel safe on the streets and a “fresh generation” of police leaders is needed.
The 32-year-old Labour and Co-operative councillor for Lambeth Council supported women in Kidbrooke, London, to stage a vigil remembering Ms Nessa last night.
It took place in Pegler Square, where the 28-yearold teacher had been due to meet a friend at her local pub, The Depot, when she was fatally attacked just minutes away in Cator Park.
Ms Nessa’s death comes six months after the abduction of 33-year-old Sarah Everard by a serving Met Police officer in Clapham, south London.
Ms Birley quoted a freedom of information request by MyLondon which the paper said showed that 160 Metropolitan Police officers were accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment or other sexual misconduct from the start of 2019 to the end of 2020.
She told the PA news agency: “Culture is a product of leadership and I would say that in the Metropolitan Police and in forces across the country, police leadership needs to take a long hard look at itself as to whether it is genuinely doing all it can to stamp out misogyny within police culture.
“I think the answer to that is that no, they’re not doing all that they can.
“I think we need a fresh generation of police leaders, and that has to start with Cressida Dick not continuing in her post.”
Asked what has changed since Ms Everard’s death during a press conference at Cator Park yesterday, Met Police Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry said: “I think the main things that are changing are that, one, we’re listening to people, we’re understanding where people are feeling not so safe, and we’re putting out patrols to make sure that we do that.”