During recent months there have been a lot of worrying news about British police forces. Recent report about the Metropolitan Police stated that it is “broken and rotten, suffering collapsing public trust and is guilty of institutional racism, misogyny and homophobia” (1). There have been some disturbing cases where a police officer has used his position to prey on women. Metropolitan police officer Wayne Couzens abducted, raped and murdered Sarah Everard in March 2021 (2). Elite Metropolitan police officer David Garrick carried out 85 serious offences, including 48 rapes, against women over a period of 17 years (3). According to data from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) more than 1,500 police officers have been accused of violent offences against women and girls over a period of six months, between October 2021 and April 2022, but less than 1% of those have been sacked (4). Data from the the Police Federation, the staff association for police officers, revealed that approximately one in 100 police officers in England and Wales faced criminal charges, including for sexual offences, last year. The number of officers facing criminal charges has skyrocketed by 590% since 2012. (5)
References:
1) “Met police found to be institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic” The Guardian 21.3.2023
2) “Police ‘could have saved Sarah Everard,’ says victim – as killer cop Wayne Couzens sentenced for flashing” LBC 6.3.2023
https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/wayne-couzens-sentenced-indecent-exposure/
3) “Elite Metropolitan police officer David Carrick revealed as serial rapist” The Guardian 16.1.2023
4) “More than 1,500 UK police officers accused of violence against women in six months” The Guardian 14.3.2023
5) “Revealed: one in 100 police officers in England and Wales faced a criminal charge last year” The Guardian 25.2.2023
IDIS Observer 