Labour unveil plans for violence against women training for police
The move comes following the murder of Sarah Everard in 2021
Labour has announced plans to give every police officer training to combat violence against women should they get into power.
The plans come following the murder of Sarah Everard, who was lured into the car of Met Police officer Wayne Couzens, who then raped and murdered her in 2021.
The party said that as well as the training, they would also overhaul procedures when vetting potential police officers so that anyone with a history of domestic abuse and sexual offences would be barred from serving in the police force.
This would also help to push those who do have current track records of assault and abuse, such as Couzens, out of the force - in the hopes of weeding such individuals from policing altogether.
Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said that there is an "urgent need" for changes to rebuilding trust between the force and the public after a number of high-profile controversies.
As well as this, Labour said that former chief constable Olivia Pinkney, who ran Hampshire Constabulary for seven years, will act as an advisor for the party as the full policy is developed.
Following a lengthy investigation into how Couzens was able to carry out the attack, the inquiry found that the former officer should never have been given a job at the force, and that several attempts to remove him were repeatedly missed.
After the findings of the first phase of the inquiry were revealed, the Met Police issued a statement apologising profusely for the numerous failed opportunities to stop Wayne from operating.
Other findings from the inquiry revealed that police forces up and down the country could find themselves with "another Couzens operating in plain sight" if a complete overhaul of policing practices does not take place.
Speaking on the findings of the inquiry's report, Ms Cooper said: "The Angiolini report suggests that rather than being a one-off problem there are fundamental failings in police vetting, recruitment, monitoring and training.
"The vital work that tens of thousands of dedicated officers across the country are doing each day to keep us safe is being undermined by the failure to address standards and restore confidence in policing, and the lack of leadership from the Government.
"We need wholesale changes so that people like Couzens are never let in through the door of a police force. In government, Labour would make police reform a priority with a package of measures to instil the very highest standards of vetting, ethics, behaviour and performance in the service."
The Angiolini Inquiry will continue as it gives its findings in two parts. Whilst the first stage of the results have been revealed, other high-profile police officers will be examined including David Carrick.