Jess Phillips voices fury over police intercourse crime failures – ‘second of reckoning’
Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips told MPs it was ‘inexcusable’ that police forces have not carried out ‘the most basic work’ to protect women after a damning inquiry report
The UK faces a “moment of reckoning” after a damning inquiry found critical failings in the way violence against women and girls is treated, MPs heard.
Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips said it was “inexcusable” that police chiefs had failed to bring in basic measures. It came after a long-awaited inquiry report by Lady Elish Angiolini found an “unacceptable level of inconsistency” that meant too many sex offenders were slipping through the net due to “critical failure”.
Lady Elish’s inquiry – which was opened after the murder of Sarah Everard in 2021 – questioned whether violence against women and girls can truly be branded a national priority. It found more than one in four police forces in England and Wales have not brought in basic policies for investigating sexual offences.
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Ms Phillips said: “The idea that there are police forces in the country without the most basic work being undertaken in this space and Lady Angiolini finds about numbers – it is inexcusable.
“I wish to say to every chief constable in the country, this is a priority – make it a priority. And I say that from this despatch box, with all the power that I possibly can of the Home Office behind me.”
She told MPs it is a “national emergency” that women do not feel safe in public spaces. Responding to the report, Ms Phillips said: “Too little has been done to deliver consistent protections for women and girls, and progress has fallen short. We find ourselves at a moment of reckoning. As someone who has spent their working life trying to secure real, lasting change, I know it will not be easy.
“But in honor of the victims and their families, and for the sake of women and girls across England and Wales, we must succeed.”
Ms Phillips described Sarah’s murder by off-duty police officer Wayne Couzins as “a betrayal of trust so wretched that it defies belief”. Women are not going out at night, avoiding dark streets and changing their use of public transport because they fear predatory men, MPs were told.
Ms Phillips said the Government is committed to its pledge to halve violence against women and girls within a decade, with a strategy due to be published “very soon”. Lady Eilish’s report said the whole of society needs to play a role in tackling sexually motivated crime.
In a heartbreaking statement to the inquiry, Sarah’s mum Susan said: “I am accustomed to Sarah no longer being with us, but I rage against it.” And her family voiced their hopes that the latest report will have “far-reaching consequences”.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said it was “utterly unacceptable” that women do not feel safe – vowing to carefully consider the inquiry’s 13 new recommendations.
Lady Elish’s report Unveiling her findings, Lady Elish said: “Until this disparity is addressed, violence against women and girls cannot be credibly called a ‘national priority’.”
And she said promises about prevention remains “just words”. Lady Elish said that it was “deeply disappointing” that despite presenting a series of recommendations to the Government nearly two years ago, there had been a lack of “consistent and unified action” to implement them.
Responding to the report, Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips said it is a “national emergency” that women do not feel safe. She told MPs:
Lady Elish’s latest report found alarming gaps in data on offences and perpetrators. She said data on sex offenders is “limited and disjointed, further impacting the ability for anyone to get a grip on the issues and the solutions”.
And she continued: “Too many perpetrators are slipping through the cracks in an overworked system. Police, prison and probation resources are overstretched and underfunded.
“This is despite violence against women and girls being described as a national threat.” And she continued: “In reality, I have found the response overall lacks what is afforded to other high priority crimes – where funding and preventative activity, with sometimes little data on success, is the norm.”
Lady Elish’s recommendations in part two of her inquiry include considering a Good Samaritan law encouraging people to act if they see alarming behaviour. She also called for improved collection and sharing of data on national and local levels, prioritising prevention of sexually moticated crimes and work with men and boys to tackle misogyny and toxic masculinity.
The Angiolini Inquiry was launched after the murder of Ms Everard by off-duty police officer Wayne Couzens. Ms Everard was abducted, raped and murdered by the former armed Metropolitan Police officer in March 2021. Last year, the first phase of the inquiry found Couzens should never have been given a job as a police officer and chances to stop him were repeatedly ignored or missed.
In the foreword to the report, Sarah’s mum said: “I read that you shouldn’t let a tragedy define you, but I feel that Sarah’s death is such a big part of me that I’m surprised there is no outer sign of it, no obvious mark of grief.
“I have been changed by it, but there is nothing to see. Outwardly we live our normal lives, but there is an inner sadness. People who do know are unfailingly kind and have helped more than they will ever know.
“We are not the only ones to lose a child, of course, and we form a sad bond with other bereaved parents. After four years, the shock of Sarah’s death has diminished but we are left with an overwhelming sense of loss and of what might have been.
“All the happy, ordinary things of life have been stolen from Sarah and from us – there will be no wedding, no grandchildren, no family celebrations with everyone there. Sarah will always be missing and I will always long for her.
“I go through a turmoil of emotions – sadness, rage, panic, guilt and numbness. They used to come all in one day but as time goes by they are more widely spaced and, to some extent, time blunts the edges.
“I am not yet at the point where happy memories of Sarah come to the fore. When I think of her, I can’t get past the horror of her last hours. I am still tormented by the thought of what she endured. We find we still appreciate the lovely things of life, but, without Sarah, there is no unbridled joy.
“And grief is unpredictable – it sits there quietly only to rear up suddenly and pierce our hearts. They say that the last stage of grief is acceptance. I am not sure what that means. I am accustomed to Sarah no longer being with us, but I rage against it.”
Lady Elish said: “Women have been clear and consistent. It is now time for the government and wider society to focus on disrupting the perpetrators. This has to start with prevention.
“Perpetrators need to be stopped and prevented from re-offending against women in a similar way again.”
Responding to the report, the Home Secretary said: “Over four years on from Sarah Everard’s tragic murder, my thoughts today are with her family and all those who loved her. As Home Secretary, I will do everything I can to ensure women and girls can live free from fear and harm – something Sarah was so cruelly denied.
“I thank Lady Elish Angiolini for this vital report, which makes clear that women do not feel safe going about their lives today. This is utterly unacceptable and must change. A new £13.1 million Centre will strengthen the police response to these crimes and drive real change, but more needs to be done.
“We will carefully consider each recommendation the Inquiry has made. This Government will halve violence against women and girls within a decade, and our upcoming VAWG Strategy will set out how we achieve this.”
Last year the first phase of the independent investigation published its findings into Couzens’ policing career and discovered he should never have been given a job as a police officer. The inquiry found chances to stop the sexual predator were repeatedly ignored and missed, and chairwoman Lady Angiolini warned without a radical overhaul of policing practices and culture, there is “nothing to stop another Couzens operating in plain sight”.
Police reforms to drive up standards are also under way under the current Government, including new rules for officers who commit gross misconduct or fail background checks to be automatically sacked.
