Women’s Aid comments: police misconduct over Couzens exposure reports

Two police officers face misconduct cases over the handling of reports of indecent exposure by Sarah Everard’s killer Wayne Couzens.

Lucy Hadley, head of policy at Women’s Aid said:

“These reports are yet another appalling example of police failing women. The fact that inquiries about a police officer committing sexual offences in public were not adequately investigated shows the lack of severity with which these crimes are considered. Indecent exposure can — and did — escalate to much more serious offences and this should have raised a grave warning about the sort of man that Couzens was. He should have been suspended immediately but the dismissive attitude that we have seen time and again highlights deep-seated issues with misogyny and misconduct within the Met.

“This permissive culture must end: as the Couzens case shows, women’s lives depend on it.

“We urgently need the full implementation of reforms on vetting, misconduct and misogyny in policing as called for by the police inspectorate, and police forces must be held accountable for progress by the government.”