Met chief faces calls to quit as police clash with vigil women
Cross-party fury at Dick after heavyhanded tactics mar gathering to mourn Sarah Everard
BRITAIN’S most senior police officer was last night facing calls to resign over the Metropolitan Police’s heavy-handed approach towards those who had gathered to pay their respects to Sarah Everard.
Violence erupted on Clapham Common in south London as police officers pulled women from the crowd, leaving many denouncing the force’s handling of the event, which had started off peacefully.
Trouble flared just hours after the Duchess of Cambridge had paid a private visit to lay daffodils near the spot where the 33-year-old marketing executive was last seen alive on March 3.
The Duchess mingled with the crowd largely unnoticed and left well before events got out of hand.
Officers grabbed women standing on the bandstand before leading them away, followed by an angry mob.
As videos of the scene circulated online, Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, said she had asked Dame Cressida Dick, the Metropolitan Police commissioner, for a “full report” on what happened.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that the Met’s behaviour was “not the way to police this protest” and was “deeply disturbing”.
He added: “Women came together to mourn Sarah Everard – they should have been able to do so peacefully. I share their anger and upset at how this has been handled.”
Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said the scenes were “unacceptable” and the police’s response was at times neither appropriate nor proportionate. “I am in contact with the Met Commissioner and urgently seeking an explanation,” he said.
Sir Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrats’ leader, asked Dame Cressida to resign. “This was a complete abject tactical and moral failure on the part of the Police,” he told her.
“We therefore call on you to consider your leadership of the service and whether you can continue to have the confidence of the millions of women in London that you have a duty to safeguard and protect.”
Last night’s events will place Dame Cressida under further scrutiny after she was widely criticised for Scotland Yard’s handling of the Operation Midland fiasco.
The inquiry resulted in fantasist Carl Beech being jailed for falsely accusing high-profile Westminster figures of sex offences, and has faced criticsim after senior officers involved in the probe escaped any disciplinary action.
Her five-year contract expires in April next year, and it is widely expected she will step down.
Mark Harper, Tory MP for Forest of Dean, said there were “serious questions for the Met Police Commissioner to answer” following the incident.
The trouble came 24 hours after plans to hold an official vigil were dashed by the police because of concerns about breaching coronavirus laws which ban large gatherings.
Candidates in the race for City Hall in May’s elections turned on Mr Khan. Tory Shaun Bailey said if Mr Khan was involved in any decision-making “he has serious questions to answer”.
Separately, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal ministers are working on a threepronged policy response to the murder, which has led to thousands of women sharing their own anxiety about being followed and attacked at night.
A compulsory national register for stalkers will be modelled on the sex offenders register, which forces criminals to pass their home details to police forces wherever they live. Other ideas include a law covering sexual threats that leave a victim frightened.
This “street harassment” law – being championed by Nimco Ali, a Home Office adviser and friend of Ms Symonds – could also include a ban on kerb crawling, also backed by Labour MPs.
A third idea is to expand Clare’s Law, named after Clare Wood, who was murdered in 2009 by an ex-boyfriend with a history of violence against women.
The Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme only allows police to share conviction details relating to domestic abuse, but would be expanded to include convictions for stalking and harassment.
Writing for The Sunday Telegraph, Robert Buckland, the Justice Secretary, said: “There come times in our lives when a case so horrific comes to light that it has a profound impact on our national psyche, prompting broad and challenging questions for society.”
Mr Buckland pledged: “This Government will continue to spearhead reforms that, with hard work by police and prosecutors on the ground, will deliver ever greater protections to women, girls and all victims of crimes of fear, control, abuse and violence.”
A Cabinet minister said: “It is about risk assessment and sharing information between the agencies and treating
threatening, stalking, harassing behaviour as seriously as you would a sexual offence or violence.”
Separately, Ms Patel reopened a nationwide appeal for evidence from the public to inform a new strategy to tackle violence against women and girls. By last night, 20,000 people had responded.
Ms Patel said: “The outpouring of grief and anger in response to the tragic developments in the Sarah Everard investigation shows just how crucial it is that we seek the views of individuals whose experience can help prevent violence against women and girls. As Home Secretary, I am determined to do all I can to prevent crimes that disproportionately affect women and girls.”
Labour called for urgent cross-party action, outlining measures that should be included in the “once-in-a-generation” chance for sweeping reforms to sentencing and protections for women and girls.
The measures proposed included increasing the minimum sentences for rapists and stalkers, introducing a whole-life tariff for anyone found guilty of abduction, sexual assault and murder of a stranger, announcing a review to toughen up sentences for domestic murderers, and making misogyny a hate crime.
The Duchess’s unannounced visit was timed to take place before a vigil by Reclaim These Streets campaigners, which had been banned by police.
The campaign had last night raised more than £320,000 for women’s groups.