'It's hard for women to trust police', says Coventry charity
Some are calling for police to be monitored
Last updated 5th Oct 2021
Some women in the area don't trust the police after the murder of Sarah Everard, Coventry Haven Women's Aid has said.
Jamie Richards, from Coventry Haven Women's Aid, believes officers should be monitored more closely:
"There needs to be some form of monitoring of behaviours. We’ve heard a lot of things this last week that’s been very triggering about Wayne Couzens and the misogyny that’s clearly been happening amongst colleagues and it’s just not right."
She also said The Met Police's advice for women to flag down a bus if they were approached by an untrustworthy officer wouldn't have helped Sarah:
"Women should not have to wonder if the police officer in front of them is actually real or not. If he was determined to handcuff her or at least get her into the car, he could easily do that.”
Sarah Everard's killer, who was a former London police officer, has begun a full life prison sentence.
An investigation has also been launched into claims that five officers shared misogynistic, racist, and homophobic WhatsApp material with Couzens months before he killed Sarah Everard.