Four years after the rape and murder of Sarah Everard, a report has found that more than a quarter of police forces in England and Wales do not implement basic policies for investigating sex crimes.
The latest phase of the Angiolini investigation finds that urgent action is now needed to prevent more violent, sexual attacks against women and girls, including targeting predatory men.
Lady Elisha Angiolini Casey, who is chairing the inquiry, said there was a disparity in the way violence against women and other high-priority crimes were dealt with, where “funding and preventive activity is the norm”.
Ms Everard was abducted and murdered by serving police officer Wayne Couzens while walking home in south London in March 2021.
Couzens, who is serving a life sentence in prison, was a police officer for almost 20 years before he murdered Ms Everard.
It is alleged that he exposed himself indecently on two separate occasions in the months before the attack.
Violence against women and girls (VAWG) has been described as a “national threat” and in 2023 the Government has underlined the need for police forces to coordinate their response and resources to tackle such crimes in line with other national threats.
Lady Elish said: “Until this inequality is addressed, violence against women and girls cannot credibly be described as a ‘national priority’.”
The report also expressed concern over gaps in national data on how many women report being victims of rape and other sexually motivated crimes in public places.
Lady Elish warned that without these data being collected and recorded consistently across all forces, the offending patterns could not be seen.
Ms Everard’s family said in a statement that they hoped these latest investigation findings would have “far-reaching consequences”.
“This shows how much work remains to be done to prevent sexually motivated crimes against women and all people at risk in public places,” the statement said.
“Sarah will always be in our thoughts and we feel the inquest is continuing to honor her memory. We stand in recognition of the urgent need for positive change.”
New recommendations in part two of the Angiolini investigation include encouraging more people to take action when they witness bad behaviour, the introduction of a wider Good Samaritan law as well as the consistent collection and sharing of data at national and local level.
Farah Naz, the aunt of Zara Alina, who was sexually assaulted and murdered by a vicious criminal in East London in 2022 after a night out, says she hopes the Good Samaritan law she supported will be taken seriously and progressed with urgency.
She said: “My niece was walking home. That’s just what she was doing. This report examines not only the specific failings associated with Sarah and Zara, but also addresses the broader structures, cultural patterns and operational vulnerabilities that put women and girls at risk in public space.”
Other recommendations include improved street lighting, improved information about positive masculinity for men and boys, and targeted consistent public messaging about how to report crimes such as indecent exposure.
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