Police in Britain need ‘significant overhaul,’ inquiry says, amid run of scandals

Police in Britain need “a significant overhaul,” an inquiry says, against the backdrop of the case of an officer who committed rape and murder in 2021.

Officer Wayne Couzens was off duty in March that year when he forced Sarah Everard, in her 30s, from London into his car using his police credentials. Couzens raped and murdered her later.

Attorney Elish Angiolini, who led the two-stage inquiry, said on Thursday the investigation had found a total of eight similar incidents reported before the tragic death of Everard. She was a marketing professional.

The police department, the inquiry said, had failed on multiple occasions to recognize indicators of Couzens’ unsuitability for the role of an officer.

“Wayne Couzens was never fit to be a police officer,” Angiolini said. “And without a significant overhaul, there is nothing to stop another Couzens operating in plain sight.”

Couzens, the inquiry showed, had allegedly committed a very serious sexual assault against a child before his policing career began.

“Now is the time for change,” Attorney Angiolini said. The lawyer urged “all those in authority in every police force in the country to read this report and take immediate action.”

“Given the known under-reporting of sexual offences, I believe there may be even more victims of Couzens’ offending.”

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In a statement released on Thursday, Everard’s parents and siblings said they hope the “significant findings” announced in the first part of the inquiry could lead to changes to keep other women safe.

“We believe that Sarah died because he was a police officer – she would never have got into a stranger’s car.”

“As a family, the inquiry has helped us, not just because of its significant findings, but because its implementation made us feel that Sarah’s life was valued and her memory honored.”

The investigation into Couzens generated a major purge which led to more findings in the police force, including a cop who had committed 24 rapes.

Mark Rowley, the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, initiated the purge. “The scale of the change that is needed inevitably means it will take time,” the London police chief said.

In December 2023, more than 1,100 police officers across England and Wales were under investigation for sexual or domestic abuse. Those serving with the Metropolitan police had the bleakest record, with 657 individuals accused of sexual or domestic abuse, or both.

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