BRITAIN’S POLICING BILL EXAMINED AFTER CLASHES

Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with law enforcement officials Monday after London police drew widespread criticism for their handling of a vigil Saturday to mark the killing of a 33-year-old woman.

The fallout comes as a proposed police bill that would grant more powers to control protests in Britain is set to be debated in Parliament this week and faces renewed scrutiny from opposition lawmakers and rights groups.

An investigation has been ordered into the policing of a vigil in South London on Saturday night for Sarah Everard, 33, whose killing touched off a national outcry over misogyny and violence. The vigil had been declared unlawful because of coronavirus restrictions, a move denounced by rights groups, and officers from the Metropolitan Police, the main London force, clashed with some attendees.

Everard, a marketing executive, disappeared near Clapham Common while walking home from a friend’s house on the evening of March 3. Her body was identified Friday, and a Metropolitan Police officer has been charged in her killing.

Johnson was scheduled to meet Monday with ministers, senior police officers and prosecutors to discuss steps to improve safety on streets for women and girls.

“Like everyone who saw it, I was deeply concerned about the footage from Clapham Common on Saturday night,” Johnson said, referring to the open space in South London where the vigil was held.

Speaking to reporters Monday, he said he had confidence in Cressida Dick, the head of the Metropolitan Police, but that he supported a review into what had happened Saturday evening. Measures in the new policing bill, he said, would increase sentences for rapists and tackle domestic violence.

Priti Patel, the British Cabinet minister overseeing policing, and Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, both called Sunday for an independent review of policing tactics at the vigil.

Dick said Sunday that a review would be good for “public confidence” but resisted calls for her resignation and defended her officers, citing concerns over the coronavirus.

Since last week, women in Britain, shaken by Everard’s disappearance and then news of her killing, have shared experiences of harassment and voiced a longenduring anger over violence against women at the hands of men, culminating in the vigil Saturday night.