An officer is charged with murder and indecent exposure in a case that has raised serious concerns about the safety of women.
The police watchdog for England and Wales has launched an investigation into London’s Metropolitan Police Service (Met) following the handling of alleged indecent exposure by a police officer suspected of murdering a 33-year-old woman.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said in a statement Thursday that it will consider whether the force responded “appropriately” to the reported incident, which occurred three days before Sarah Everard’s disappearance.
The IOPC’s announcement came as women in the UK shared their fears and anger at how unsafe they feel on the streets after Everard went missing in London last week, and the subsequent arrest of a Met police officer on suspicion of her kidnapping and murder. .
A ‘Reclaim the Streets’ vigil was held on Saturday evening in south-west London, near where Everard was last seen, in an effort to highlight the challenges facing women.
It was not yet clear whether the event would take place, and police had expressed concerns that the event might violate COVID-19 lockdown restrictions.
Similar events were planned for other cities and towns.
Human remains confirmed as those of Everard
Everard, 33, disappeared shortly after 9:00 PM GMT while walking home from a friend’s apartment in the capital on March 3.
Her photo, which smiled at the camera or was captured on CCTV that night, has been splashed in British newspapers all week.
On Friday, police confirmed that human remains found in the forest near Ashford, a town in neighboring county Kent, belonged to Everard.
The suspect, a serving Met officer, is in his forties and was arrested late Tuesday in Kent on charges of kidnapping and murder. He remains in custody.
A woman in her thirties was also arrested at the same location on suspicion of assisting a perpetrator. She has since been released on bail.
‘Terrible crime’
The arrested officer was reported to police on Feb. 28 on charges of indecent exposure at a South London fast food restaurant.
The IOPC announced its investigation on Thursday, saying it had received a voluntary referral from the Met due to a behavioral issue related to the exposure case.
The watchdog also said it would investigate how the suspect sustained head injuries while in custody that required hospital treatment; Police say the officer was injured while sitting alone in his cell after his arrest.
Everard’s family paid tribute to her on Thursday, saying: “[Our] the beautiful daughter Sarah has been taken from us and we are appealing to all the information that can help solve this terrible crime.
Sarah was smart and beautiful – a wonderful daughter and sister. She was kind and thoughtful, caring and trustworthy. “
Their statement came when lawmaker Jess Phillips, the head of the opposition party’s domestic violence policy, read in Parliament the names of all 118 women murdered by men last year.
“The message that needs to be conveyed is that male violence is something that needs to be addressed and challenged, and that it needs to wake up the justice system and society,” Phillips said.