LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s top police officer has sought to reassure women that it is safe to walk the streets of London at night after one of her agents was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping and murdering a 33- year old woman.
Sarah Everard’s disappearance and the announcement that human remains had been found prompted the woman to flood social media with messages about the steps they take when alone at night to keep themselves safe, including holding keys to use as a weapon and wearing sports shoes to help them run.
Others gave a catalog of cases of public harassment by men over the decades since they were schoolgirls.
“These are so powerful because any woman can relate,” said Home Secretary Priti Patel. “Every woman should feel safe walking our streets without fear of intimidation or violence.”
Everard was last seen walking home from a friend’s house in South London at 9:30 PM on March 3. Her photo, which either smiled at the camera or was captured on CCTV that night, has been splashed by British newspapers all week.
An officer in her 40s assigned to guard diplomatic buildings has been arrested on charges of murder, kidnapping and indecent exposure, while a woman in her 30s has also been detained on suspicion of assisting a perpetrator.
Cressida Dick, the head of the London police, said she and her colleagues were “utterly appalled” by the news that a serving officer had been arrested and said it had sent waves of “shock and anger” from the public and police.
“I know Londoners want to know that fortunately it is incredibly rare for a woman to be kidnapped from our streets,” she said.
“But I fully understand that despite this, women in London and the general public, especially those in the area where Sarah was missing, will be concerned and may be afraid.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Thursday that he was shocked and deeply saddened by the developments, as the disappearance prompted #saraheverard to go online as women shared their experiences.
“The message that needs to be conveyed is that male violence is something that needs to be addressed and challenged and that it should wake up the justice system and society,” said Jess Phillips, opposition Labor party spokeswoman on domestic violence.
“Right now, we just don’t take it seriously the way we take other crimes.”
A vigil for Everard, called Reclaim The Streets, takes place on Saturday evening.
Edited by Guy Faulconbridge and Alison Williams