Sarah Everard: Boris Johnson demands change in culture of policing

ThePrime Ministerhas called for a change in the culture of policing following the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens.

Boris Johnson told broadcasters in Manchester that there is “a massive job” to do in restoring women’s confidence in the police.

Couzens was known as “the rapist” by former colleagues at the Civil Nuclear Constabulary because he made female colleagues feel so uncomfortable, and had been accused of indecent exposure in 2015 and in the days before the murder.

Mr Johnson told reporters: “What we can certainly conclude from the Wayne Couzens case and what happened there is that there is a massive job of work to do to give women the confidence that they need.

“I want to be clear: I believe people should be confident in the police. I believe police officers, men and women up and down the country, will be absolutely sickened by what has happened, and they will be doing everything they can, and I know they do everything they can to help and reassure the public. So, it is vital that the public trust the police.

“But what we need to do is do some things to make the streets safer and we are investing massively in CCTV and street lighting, and those sorts of things, but also make sure we change the culture of policing.”

He also called for crimes to be dealt with more quickly and for a boost in the recruitment of female police officers.