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Police sex crime convictions have increased by more than a third since then slaughter Sarah Everard’s, Independent may reveal, warn that forces must “wake up to terror” and do more stop poachers By joining their camp.
despite this Attempt To Improvement Standards and public trust after the death of a 33-year-old man at the hands of the Metropolitan’s service police officer Wayne Couzens New figures in 2021 highlight the scale of the crime, with officers – all men – convicted of rape, sexual harassment and arranging for the sexual exploitation of a child.
Since the beginning of 2022, nine months after Ms. Everard murder59 police officer have been convicted of a sexual offence, according to Freedom of Information Act data obtained from 26 of the 42 police forces in England and Wales.
That figure, which includes Couzens, is 34 percent more than the 30 executives convicted between 2018 and 2021, a period that also includes Covid. lockoutThose convicted from 2022 include former Greater Manchester police officer Dean Dempster, who sexually assaulted a six-year-old girl while responding to a domestic incident, and former West Yorkshire police officer Ben Bottomley, who raped and sexually assaulted a woman before joining the force,
The Home Office acknowledged that the figures were “shameful”, while former Victims’ Commissioner Dame Vera Baird described them as “appalling”.
he told Independent: “Why would any woman who is a victim of sexual abuse, or domestic abuse, which always has a sexual dimension, have the confidence or trust to call the police when they need help, when they know full well that they could put themselves into the hands of another abusive person.”
Dame Vera, who was victims’ commissioner between 2019 and 2022, said the increased number of prosecutions could indicate that more officers are being reported by colleagues and have been “rooted out”. But he cautioned: “…that they were there in the first place is appalling”.
“The police need to wake up to the horror of the Sarah Everard affair violence against women and girls (VAWG) movement and realize that they cannot fail to But he will be given a chance to gain the women’s confidence before making additional efforts, as he was told during the interrogation,” he said.
After Ms Everard’s death, police chiefs vowed to improve standards and carried out mass screening of 307,000 police staff, leading to nine criminal investigations.
The latest figures, which may include some historical crimes, follow the second part of a serious investigation into Ms Everard’s death. found The forces had failed to fully implement recommendations on recruitment screening 18 months earlier, which included requiring psychological assessment of new recruits and a complete ban on those with convictions or warnings.
The chair of the inquiry, Lady Elish Angiolini, warned that this meant poachers such as Couzens, who passed an investigation at the Met despite allegedly being reported to Kent Police for indecently exposing themselves, could still be given police jobs.
he told Independent: “it [the latest figures] Just be warned that testing can’t be something that just happens when you walk in the door.
“I am suggesting [vetting is done] In an irregular manner so that the police know that this is likely to happen at some point in their career, if not more than once, to ensure that they are still the same people they applied for and have not been corrupted in any way that might manifest in the sexual exploitation of those they are there to support and serve rather than abuse.
The force follows guidelines on investigations published by the College of Policing and said in its latest update last year that officers should be subject to frequent checks, including random checks. And in April, then-Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said the new measures would make it a legal requirement for all serving officers to pass background checks.
Responding to the figures, a Home Office spokesperson said: “These figures are shameful, and these horrific incidents undermine trust and confidence in our police. Home Secretary [Shabana Mahmood] It has been made clear that she will do everything possible to ensure that women and girls can live free from fear and harm and that the strictest standards in policing are maintained.
“We have already reformed the police misconduct system, ensuring forces can fire officers who fail investigations and more strongly suspend those who come under investigation for crimes such as domestic abuse or sexual offences.”
But MPs, campaigners and donors say much more needs to be done.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philip helped draft the law tight Leading investigations while police minister under the Tory government, which included making it easier for police chiefs to fire rogue officers during misconduct hearings.
he told Independent: “These figures are both shocking and unacceptable. The public must have confidence that police officers will act with decency and integrity. There is no place in our force for dangerous predators, we need ongoing investigative processes to identify and remove officers who pose a threat to women.
“It is clear that more needs to be done to ensure full trust and confidence in policing, and in the opposition, we will support whatever measures are necessary to do this.”
Don Butler, Labor MP for Brent East, who has called for the DNA profiles of all Met Police officers to be kept in a police database, said the numbers were “shocking but sadly not surprising” and called for a tougher investigation. He said, “Some officers turn out to be very bad people, some are born that way and use the police service as a gateway… Ultimately, to fully build trust, we need a new social contract between the police and its citizens.”
Andrea Simon, executive director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said the sentence increase is “shocking”, but added that it also reflects greater accountability for abuse.
But he cautioned: “Angiolini’s recent findings illustrate the lack of sufficient progress that police forces, and potentially society as a whole, are dismantling cultures of racism and sexism. Policing still has a long way to go in improving the vetting and recruitment of officers and ensuring that victims and survivors of abuse receive the level of response they deserve.”
Of the 59 police officers convicted of sex crimes since 2022, 22 were from the Met Police, Britain’s biggest force. Two were of the rank of sergeant or above and none are still serving officers.
Couzens used his position as a police officer to make Ms Everard think he was arresting her for breaking lockdown rules before attacking her. After his death, it emerged that there were concerns about his behavior – he was reportedly nicknamed a “rapist” – and that he was part of a WhatsApp group with fellow officers that shared disturbing racist, homophobic and misogynistic comments.
Following his sentencing, the force, which called Couzens’ crimes “devastating for everyone”, vowed to immediately review all officers’ allegations of sexual misconduct and domestic abuse.
A spokesperson for the Met Police said: “There is no place in our organization for anyone who has committed a sexual offence. Each of these officers have been dismissed or would have been dismissed if they were still serving.”
“The Met now has one of the strongest entry checking policies in UK policing and the refusal rate has more than doubled.”
As well as sexual offences, the data shows officers were also convicted of stalking, violence and corruption, with a total of 575 police officers sentenced since 2018.
The National Police Chiefs Council, which represents forces, this year appointed Deputy Assistant Commissioner Helen Millichap to lead its work on violence against women and girls. She is also the director of the National Center for VAWG and Public Protection.
He said more people were being identified and dismissed from forces due to “significant changes” to investigation and misconduct procedures. This included home visits and mandatory police national database checks as part of the recruitment process. NPCC said psychological assessment for recruits will be introduced next year.