Sarah Everard: Metropolitan police officer charged with kidnapping and murdering Sarah Everard, who went missing in London

The independent police behavior office, a police watchdog, said in a statement on Thursday that it had launched an independent investigation into police action involving the suspect.

Many have also exchanged notes on the usual precautions they take to try to stay safe when walking alone – such as holding keys between their knuckles, pretending to talk to someone on the phone or not wearing headphones at night – and expressed their anger and frustration that it felt like an essential step.

Couzens joined the Met in September 2018, where he joined a response team covering the Bromley area in south-east London. He then moved to the parliamentary and diplomatic protection order in February 2020, where his ‘primary role was in uniform patrol duties of diplomatic premises, mainly a series of embassies’, according to Met’s statement.

Nick Ephgrave, assistant commissioner to the Metropolitan Police, said on Friday that he understood that ‘women in London and the wider public, especially those in the area where Sarah went missing, will be worried and possibly scared’, and that Londoners can expect to see an increase in street officials in the coming days.

“I know the public is hurt and angry about what happened. And those are sentiments that I personally share, and I also know my colleagues here at Scotland Yard and across the Met section,” Ephgrave said.

‘Recycle the streets’

A series of vigils were planned across the country on Saturday, including in Clapham Common, a green space that Everard walked near at about 9 p.m. local time while on her way to her home in Brixton.

The “Reclaim These Streets” events have been canceled after London police said vigilance could not continue, citing coronavirus restrictions, organizers said in a statement on Saturday.

“We were very disappointed that the Metropolitan Police, given the many opportunities to engage constructively with organizers, did not want to commit to it. Although we had positive discussions with the Lambeth officers present, those from Scotland Yard did not want to join us. “proposals are under discussion to help ensure that a legitimate, Covid-safe vigilance can take place,” the organizers said in the statement.

Instead, the group will raise £ 32,000 (approximately US $ 44,544) for women’s affairs, which will also cover £ 10,000 (approximately US $ 13,920) in possible fines for the 32 vigils planned across the country.

More than 70% of women surveyed by UN Women UK said they had experienced sexual harassment in public space. The poll showed up to 97% among women aged 18 to 24 years. The data, released on Wednesday, was obtained from a YouGov survey of more than 1,000 women commissioned by UN Women UK in January 2021.

The organization’s poll also suggested that women have little confidence in public institutions to tackle the situation.

“Only 4% of women told us they reported the incidents of harassment to an official organization. 45% of women said they did not believe reporting would help change anything,” UN Women UK said. said.

Women are not alone in feeling threatened on the street; according to the annual Crime Survey for England and Wales, published by the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS), men are more likely to be victims of violent crime involving strangers and acquaintances.

But the government’s data shows that men are more likely to be prosecuted for violent actions against women and men. During the three-year period ending in March 2020, the vast majority of suspects convicted of murder were men – 93% of the total, according to a report by ONS on murder.