image source, Handouts to families
Sarah Everard was murdered by off-duty police officer Wayne Cousins.
The Mayor of London has said it will take “years” to repair the damage done to trust in the police, as the city marks the third anniversary of Sarah Everard’s death.
The 33-year-old marketing executive was raped and murdered by Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Cousins on March 3, 2021, on her way home in south London.
Her murder put a spotlight on violence against women and girls.
The anniversary comes two days after the investigation concluded there was a missed opportunity to stop the killer.
“As we mark the third anniversary of Sarah Everard’s tragic death, our thoughts are with her family and loved ones. This is an unimaginably difficult day for everyone who knew and loved Sarah. I’m sure it was,” Sadiq Khan said.
“Sarah’s murder at the hands of an active-duty police officer has horrified the nation and seriously damaged women’s and girls’ trust and confidence in the police. It will take years to repair this situation.”
Last week, the inquiry, chaired by Mrs Elish Angiolini, said Mr Cousins should not have been given a job as a police officer and that opportunities to stop sex offenders had been repeatedly ignored and missed.
The March 2023 Casey Review, commissioned by the Met in the wake of Ms Everard’s murder, found that the force was systematically racist, homophobic and misogynistic, and that some of its members, Mr Cousins, were It turns out there could be more police officers like him.
Mr Khan said the Metropolitan Police Department was on a path of “wide-ranging reform”, with some improvements including stronger vetting and removing corrupt officers, but “particularly that we continue to hold ourselves accountable for delivering police reform”. I’m going to put the blame on the chief of the Metropolitan Police Department,” he said. Women and girls who have been let down for far too long. ”
“Accountability”
The charity Women’s Aid said police urgently needed to restore women’s confidence, which is at an “all-time low”.
CEO Farah Nazir said: “Police officers, who have a duty to keep women and children safe and protect them from those who would do them harm, carry out their duties carefully and thoughtfully.” We need real accountability in police reform so that we can do that.” Please work diligently to prevent a horrific murder like Sarah’s from happening again. ”
Following the Angiolini investigation, Home Secretary James Cleverley announced that police officers would in future be automatically suspended if they are charged with certain criminal offenses.
Labor said it would introduce compulsory violence against women and girls in the training of all police officers, and promised an overhaul of police vetting procedures.
A BBC documentary on Tuesday will examine the impact the incident has had on the Metropolitan Police.
Sarah Everard: The Search for Justice is available to watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer at 21:00 GMT.
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