WHAT HAPPENS WHEN TRUST IS BROKEN?
New figures showing how many Met police officers stand accused of crimes against women, ranging from rape to domestic abuse, are truly shocking.
It’s almost as though, as an institution, they’ve been harbouring wrong ’uns for years, with 1,071 officers and staff accused of these offences in the past 10 years. You can’t help but draw the conclusion that there are many dodgy cops in London who have absolutely no right to be enforcing the law over others. Some of them should actually be behind bars themselves.
The case of PC David Carrick beggars belief. Nine times he could have been stopped after complaints were filed and ‘investigated’ but nine times his victims were failed – allowing him to carry out a staggering 80 sex attacks over 18 years.
He’d been accused of rape, assault, harassment, domestic abuse and burglary but was cleared over and over again until, finally, a woman accused him of rape in October 2021 and he was caught. By then, it has now been discovered, he’d carried out 48 rapes and other horrendous assaults involving 12 women. More victims are now expected to come forward.
And this man was working alongside other police officers day in, day out, who didn’t have a clue what he was up to? If they did, that’s terrible and if they didn’t – well, that’s terrible too.
In a bid to right the wrongs, all offences of this nature by Met officers and staff are now under urgent review – in case there’s another serial rapist hiding in plain sight.
You’d think, after the shocking rape and murder of Sarah Everard in March 2021 by serving officer Wayne Couzens (who worked in the same unit as Carrick), this might have been prioritised a while ago? But apparently not.
Meanwhile, what are women suffering any sort of abuse or assault supposed to do? Who can they trust? Because it sure as hell isn’t the police.