The Guardian view on the police and women: face up to the problems
The disappearance of Sarah Everard in London in March sparked a wave of outrage at the violence women face. Following the sentencing of her killer, Wayne Couzens, to life in jail, the fury and distrust now centres on the police. No one doubts that the Metropolitan police are “sickened, angered and devastated”. Many worked tirelessly to bring Couzens to justice. But the full, chilling details of the premeditated kidnap, rape and murder, in particular the fact that Couzens staged a false arrest using his warrant card and handcuffs, have deepened the case for a real and urgent reckoning by the institution.
There is no sign that the Met understands the profound crisis of faith that it faces – as serious as those provoked by its failure to investigate Stephen Lawrence’s murder properly or the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes. Dogged campaigning by Mr Lawrence’s parents ultimately led to the acknowledgment of institutional racism. Despite the undoubted strides made in tackling sexual violence and domestic abuse, it is time to face up to institutional misogyny.
The Met commissioner, Cressida Dick, at least conceded that “a precious bond of trust has been damaged” – having previously sought to distance the service from Couzens by saying that he had betrayed his colleagues and glibly referring to the occasional “bad ’un”. She did not say what she might do to address this.
Police have now admitted that they may have had enough information to identify Couzens as a sexual threat to women in the days before the murder.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is investigating the handling of three separate complaints of indecent exposure: two made in London shortly before the killing and a third in Kent in 2015. But the behaviour of other officers must also be addressed.
The Centre for Women’s Justice has submitted a “super-complaint” involving 15 forces, relating to their handling of accusations of domestic abuse, rape and stalking against serving officers.
The broader context encompasses the policing of the vigil for Ms Everard; the handling of the murder of sisters Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry in a London park last summer; and the duping of women into sexual relationships with “spy cops” (one victim won a landmark tribunal against the Met on Thursday). Only weeks ago, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) found significant shortcomings in dealing with the “epidemic” of violence against women and girls. When a significant part of society comes to believe that the police cannot protect it, but do protect their own, that is in itself a sign of serious failure. It also prevents the police from doing their job.
The Labour MP Harriet Harman has made sensible proposals that should be implemented, including adopting all recommendations of the HMICFRS; immediate suspension of any officer against whom an allegation of violence against women is made, and immediate dismissal on admission of or conviction for such an offence; and the dismissal of those who fail to report a colleague for violence against women.
She has also called for Ms Dick’s resignation. The commissioner has been at the heart of many of the Met’s most grievous failures and has shown no interest in reforming it, but enjoys the home secretary’s support. The unwise extension to her term, until 2024, gives her the chance to take action. She should grasp it. The government should tell her so. The public already has.