Sarah Everard news – Vigil scenes ‘deeply concerning’, Boris Johnson says as murder cops search Sandwich town centre
BORIS Johnson has said he is "deeply concerned" by footage from Saturday's Sarah Everard vigil.
Video from the scene showed heavy-handed cops drag tearful women away from a candle-lit shrine during ugly clashes on Clapham Common.
Despite growing criticism, Met Police chief Cressida Dick has defied calls to resign over the incident saying she was “determined to lead” the Force and hit out what she branded "armchair critics" of police behaviour.
Boris Johnson will chair a meeting of the crime and justice taskforce later to discuss what further action is needed to make streets safer for women. Dick will join Boris at the meeting.
Describing himself as "deeply concerned" by evens it Clapham, the PM said Sarah's death "must unite us" to drive out violence against women and girls and make the criminal justice system work to protect them.
It comes as officers have been seen along a pathway next to a stream, and have set up a base in Sandwich town centre, according to Kent Online.
Police would not comment on the new area of investigation, but the local council confirmed that the pathway had been taped off as part of the investigation into Sarah's death.
Officers have been seen along a pathway next to a stream, and have set up a base in the town centre, according to Kent Online.
Police would not comment on the new area of investigation, but the local council confirmed that the pathway had been taped off as part of the investigation into Sarah's death.
The new search is focused on a waterside path and recycling bin, according to reports.
Follow our live blog below for the latest developments in the story…
- Debbie White
TORY COUNCILLOR MOCKS WOMEN'S STRUGGLES
A Tory councillor has been suspended after "making a mockery of women's struggles" in a social media post.
The Conservative Party confirmed that Mark Deacon was immediately suspended after he posted an image of himself in women's clothes in response to a proposal for a 6pm men's curfew by the Green Party's Baroness Jones.
The Plymouth Southway councillor was pictured wearing a wig and dress with the message that "if the Green Party and some Labour Party politicians get their way and impose this ridiculous 6pm curfew on men, then I'm going to wear me dress more often".
Married dad Deacon, a staff nurse, was told he was "mocking women's concerns about male violence, trivialising such a serious matter in an extraordinarily offensive fashion".
Although Deacon removed the post and apologised for "any upset I may have caused", Plymouth Labour councillor Sally Haydon said: "It's extremely disappointing to see a senior councillor make a mockery of women's deeply felt worries about the issue of male violence".
- Debbie White
WHAT CAN MEN DO TO MAKE WOMEN FEEL SAFER ON STREETS?
A man's Facebook plea asking "What can males do to make women feel safer on the streets" has prompted a list of suggestions.
They include: provide space when jogging – do not run up right behind a woman; if you see a woman walking alone, cross the road and walk on the other side; if you are wearing a hood, take it down and keep your hands out of your pockets; understand that 'no' means no.
Also: do not walk right behind a woman – if it is unavoidable, leave some space; call out misogyny and 'locker room behaviour' by family and friends – the more men who stand up for women, the less they will be objectified; intervene if you see a woman uncomfortable or in danger, whether by going over to ask if she is OK or simply by calling 999; don't stare.
- John Hall
STREETS ARE 'LAWLESS' FOR WOMEN IN THE UK
Women regard the streets as "lawless" when it comes to male behaviour, the Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales has said.
Dame Vera Baird QC told BBC Breakfast that women had begun to speak about their "appalling experiences".
She said: "They regard quite clearly the streets as lawless for women when it comes to male behaviour. Men it seems, they tell us, they can do what they want and say what they want, and nobody will take action.
"As we know, it doesn't seem to many people worth it to make a complaint to the police because if someone complains of rape, 98 per cent of the 55,000 people who have complained of rape do not even get a charge."
Dame Vera urged: "It is absolutely critical the Government takes urgent and sustained action to redress the confidence in the police and criminal justice system – and really, frankly, half the population."
- Debbie White
RECLAIM THESE STREETS WANTS MEETING WITH COPS
Anna Birley from Reclaim These Streets says she does not want Dame Cressida to resign, but she has asked for the Met chief to meet with the group.
She told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "We are a movement of women seeking to support and empower other women, and as one of the most senior women in British policing history, we do not want to add to the pile-on.
"We do want her to meet with us.
"We were hugely disappointed that she put out a statement yesterday without talking to any of the people who were organising the vigil and had such a difficult experience with the Metropolitan Police force."
- Debbie White
PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN POLICE ROCKED
The focus on the upsetting scenes that unfolded over the weekend at the Sarah Everard vigil must return to the experiences of women, the Victims' Commissioner for England and Wales has urged.
Dame Vera Baird QC criticised the Met Police's response to the event, claiming it would have a "dreadful" impact on the public's confidence towards policing in general.
Today she told BBC Breakfast: "It needs to move straight back to the women, who – many of whom, victims of crime – will have been there on Saturday night trying to make their point that the death of Sarah Everard is the pinnacle of what they are terrified will happen to them, ultimately."
Speaking about the Met's response, she added: "It, unfortunately, confirms the view of many of these young women that whatever they do, they will not be supported."
- John Hall
PM TO DISCUSS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN WITH MET CHIEF AMID FURY AT FORCE
Boris Johnson will discuss ways to protect women and girls from violence with the head of the Met Police amid a storm of criticism over the force's handling of a vigil in memory of Sarah Everard.
The Prime Minister is expected to chair a meeting of the Government's Crime and Justice Taskforce on Monday, with Dame Cressida Dick – who has resisted calls to quit over the events – among the attendees.
Mr Johnson said he was "deeply concerned" about footage of the event, some of which showed police officers grabbing women and leading them away in handcuffs.
He added: "(On Monday) I will chair a meeting of the Government's Crime and Justice Taskforce to look at what further action we need to take to protect women and ensure our streets are safe.
"The death of Sarah Everard must unite us in determination to drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to protect and defend them."
- Debbie White
COMMISSIONER DAME CRESSIDA DICK 'INCREDIBLY SUCCESSFUL' – MINISTER DEFENDS UNDER-FIRE COP BOSS
Policing minister Kit Malthouse has staunchly defended Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick amid calls for her to step down.
"Cressida Dick is an officer of superlative achievement in her life and she has been close to some incredibly successful investigations," he told BBC Breakfast.
"I know that she is very dedicated and committed to this issue of dealing with violence against women and girls in as assertive a way as we possibly can," he added.
- John Hall
WOMEN AT VIGIL FELT 'SILENCED'
Women attending Saturday night's vigil of Sarah Everard felt they had been "silenced" by cops, according to one woman arrested at the event.
Dania Al-Obeid was detained at the bandstand on Clapham Common in south London on Saturday during the vigil in memory of the murdered 33-year-old.
She told BBC Radio 4 today that she was arrested for allegedly breaching Covid regulations.
Dania added: "I understood police on the ground were following orders. When I did get arrested and spoke to them, and when I was handcuffed in the van, they understood our position. They were just following orders.
"I think that's where the frustration was, the bigger picture here was lost. We felt we were silenced and this could have been avoided if there was some understanding and compassion to the trauma that women feel every single day."
- John Hall
DAME CRESSIDA DICK DEFENDED OVER VIGIL FURORE
Policing minister Kit Malthouse has this morning defended Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick amid angry calls for her to step down.
"Cressida Dick is an officer of superlative achievement in her life and she has been close to some incredibly successful investigations," he told BBC Breakfast.
"I know that she is very dedicated and committed to this issue of dealing with violence against women and girls in as assertive a way as we possibly can."
- John Hall
SUSANNA REID SLAMS 'SHOCKING SCENES' AT VIGIL
Susanna Reid made a passionate speech about women's safety after the vigil for Sarah Everard.
She tackled "shocking" scenes at Clapham Common which saw women pinned to the ground and handcuffed – and pleaded for answers on how things had gone so badly wrong
"This was supposed to be a peaceful vigil for Sarah," Susanna told Good Morning Britain viewers.
"That's the absolutely tragic case of a woman who was simply walking home a week ago.
"Women gathered – more than 1,000 of them – to just pay respects, lay flowers and make a point about the fact they don't feel safe."
- John Hall
COUZENS WILL CLAIM SALARY
More on that last blog post.
The pay precedent has been established in line with the presumption the officer, like any defendant, is innocent until proven guilty.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council said: “The policy would be the officer is on full pay until the point they are dismissed.”
Here's what you need to know.
- John Hall
PAY FOR PC
Accused cop Wayne Couzens will continue to get his PC’s salary while he is on trial for Sarah Everard’s murder.
The armed diplomatic protection officer will receive his full wage of at least £33,000-a-year up until the trial verdict if he pleads not guilty.
More on this in the next post.
- Debbie White
CALL FOR CLARITY OVER LOCKDOWN VIGIL ACTION
National Police Chiefs’ Council chairman Martin Hewitt told BBC 4 that the Covid pandemic has made policing events such as the weekend's vigil 'complex', adding: "We want clarity so commanders on the ground can make those decisions in what are always very challenging circumstances."
Organisers of the Reclaim These Streets vigil and protest had argued that they had the right to hold the event despite a ban on gatherings during the pandemic.
But they claimed that senior officers in the Met Police refused to engage with them constructively on plans to make the event Covid safe, and so cancelled the vigil.
Despite this, crowds gathered on Clapham Common on Saturday, leading to clashes with police that saw women led away in handcuffs.
Additional protests on Sunday night near Scotland Yard, Downing Street and in Parliament Square were attended by hundreds of people.
- John Hall
SADIQ KHAN CALLS FOR INVESTIGATION INTO HANDLING OF VIGIL
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has asked for a “full independent investigation” into the Metropolitan Police’s handling of Saturday night’s Clapham Common vigil.
"I received assurances from the Metropolitan Police last week that the vigil would be policed sensitively," he said in a statement released this afternoon.
"In my view, this was not the case."
Khan said he he was “not satisfied” with the explanation he had been given by the force’s leadership, and was now asking for a "full independent investigation" of events on Saturday night and in previous days.
This would be carried out by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, as well as the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
- John Hall
PM TO DISCUSS VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN WITH MET CHIEF AMID FURY AT FORCE
Boris Johnson will discuss ways to protect women and girls from violence with the head of the Metropolitan Police amid a storm of criticism over the force's handling of a vigil in memory of Sarah Everard.
The Prime Minister is expected to chair a meeting of the Government's Crime and Justice Taskforce on Monday, with Dame Cressida Dick – who has resisted calls to quit over the events – among the attendees.
In ugly scenes on Saturday, officers clashed with crowds gathered on Clapham Common to remember the 33-year-old marketing executive who went missing while walking home from a friend's flat on March 3.
Dame Cressida said what happened to Ms Everard made her "more determined, not less" to lead the organisation, and welcomed the Home Secretary's request for an independent investigation into the events over the weekend.
Priti Patel, who will be at the meeting on Monday with Justice Secretary Robert Buckland and director of public prosecutions Max Hill, has asked the chief inspector of constabulary to conduct a "lessons learned" review into the police's actions at the vigil.
- John Hall
SARAH EVERARD VIGIL: MET POLICE CHIEF CRESSIDA DICK DEFENDS COPS STORMING VIGIL & WON’T RESIGN DESPITE BACKLASH
MET Police chief Cressida Dick has defied calls to resign after cops stormed a vigil for Sarah Everard on Clapham Common on Saturday.
Ms Dick said she was “determined to lead” the Force following heavy criticism of the policing tactics used at the memorial.
Read more here.
- Debbie White
POLICE CHIEF CALLS FOR CLARITY OVER HANDLING OF PROTESTS DURING LOCKDOWN
One of Britain's most senior police cops has called for more clarity on how forces should deal with protests during the pandemic following controversy over the handling of the Sarah Everard vigil.
National Police Chiefs' Council chairman Martin Hewitt said the difficult decisions faced by police commanders have been made harder under Covid lockdown restrictions.
Mr Hewitt told BBC Radio 4 that policing demonstrations and public order is always "incredibly challenging".
He said: "You are balancing different rights, you are balancing legal regulations, you are balancing health and safety. They are very difficult decisions for commanders on the ground to make in any set of circumstances.
"Where we are at the moment, where we are under Covid regulations, we have got the public health threat of the pandemic, those decisions have been made even harder for commanders."
- Debbie White
PRITI PATEL TO GIVE STATEMENT ON VIGIL
Home Secretary Priti Patel is expected to give a statement to the House of Commons after Saturday night's vigil.
The politician will speak this afternoon about the Met Police's handling of the vigil in London, in memory of Sarah Everard.
- John Hall
MET POLICE FEDERATION CHAIRMAN SAYS: ‘DAMNED IF WE DO, DAMNED IF WE DON’T'
Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: “Yesterday, 26 Metropolitan Police officers were assaulted – punched, kicked, spat at – policing Covid-19 lockdown laws that a democratically-elected Government have imposed… laws that the Mayor of London has called on us to enforce to keep Londoners safe.
“Now colleagues are being condemned by politicians of all parties for doing what we have been asked to do by politicians on behalf of society.
“This is not right or fair. Damned if we do. Damned if we don’t. Are we supposed to enforce Covid-19 regulations or not?
“Political leaders should be doing much more to support the police officers they have put in this impossible position.
“The thoughts of the Metropolitan Police Federation remain with the family and friends of Sarah Everard.”
- John Hall
SARAH EVERARD: JUST 1.4% OF RAPE ALLEGATIONS ARE PROSECUTED, ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL STATS
Just 1.4 per cent of rape allegations are prosecuted, shocking official stats show – the lowest figure on record.
Furious campaigners have warned that many victims are staying silent about their abuse because they have lost faith in the courts – with England’s courts now have a backlog of some 56,000 cases.
Labour say rape cases hang on the evidence of the victim, and leaving them to go unheard for many months or even years only harms the chances of getting a conviction.
Ministers have vowed to crack down on sexual abuse and harassment of women in the wake of Sarah’s killing. They are urging women to come forward with their experiences of abuse and ideas for change.
Home Office Minister Victoria Atkins said “nothing is off the table” when it comes to making Britain’s streets safer.
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