This response from the Prime Minster was met with criticism from both women and the Labour Party, particularly as the lack of funding within the legal system and the CPS is arguably correlated to the low prosecution rates for acts of violence against women.
Moreover, ex-chief superintendent in the Met Police, Parm Sandhu, shared concerns over the vetting processes within the police, and argued for the re-vetting of officers. Her concerns stemmed from the fact that Couzens had been able to get through these processes despite his indecency offences between 2015-2018, claiming that such suggests that there are likely other officers with unacceptable backgrounds that have been likewise overlooked. According to such claims the vetting process would need a through re-evaluation so as to ensure that women and girls feel safe and secure. Furthermore, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) are investigating 5 other police officers who were in a group chat with Couzens for sharing offensive material, which further strengthens claims on the need to extensively vet officers.
The vetting of the police is crucial to ensure an environment that is secure, an environment where women and girls do not fear those who are meant to protect them.
The vetting of the police is crucial to ensure an environment that is secure, an environment where women and girls do not fear those who are meant to protect them. The advice that the Met Police gave out to women, regarding flagging down a bus or calling 999 if they feared an officer, entirely missed the mark in trying to find ways to help women, as well as being incredibly absurd and insensitive to suggest at all.
Instead of finding ways of trying to get women out of a dangerous situation, Boris Johnson and the Met Police should be trying to find ways to prevent dangerous situation from occurring in the first place. One of the solutions to this would be an extensive process of vetting officers to ensure none have any unacceptable backgrounds.
