Sir Mark Rowley on Tuesday issued a new apology to the family of Sarah Everard as he vowed to “double down and go faster” in overhauling the Met in response to the catastrophic failures which led to her murder.
The Met Commissioner told the London Policing Board that Ms Everard’s killer Wayne Couzens had damaged the trust between the force and the public by committing his “horrific” crimes while abusing his position as Governor a Met officer.
He said that last week’s damning report into the killing by Lady Elish Angiolini had exposed “long term flaws” in vetting, as well as other failings including the treatment of indecent exposure offences, and highlighted the need to accelerate progress in reforming his force.
“There is nothing we can say to the family of Sarah Everard and those who loved her to say how deeply, deeply sorry we are,” Sir Mark told the board.
“Wayne Couzens’ crimes were horrific and the fact that he committed them while abusing his position as a Metropolitan Police officer was a betrayal of trust and damages the relationship between police and the public in London.
“Her [Lady Elish’s”] report is an urgent call for action for all of us in policing to double down and go further and faster to build the trust of communities.”
Sir Mark said progress since the killing of Ms Everard, who was kidnapped, raped and murdered by Couzens after being abducted by him as she walked home through Clapham on 3 March 2021, included “massive progress” in increasing the number of rape cases being solved and work to improve the way police treat victims.
He said the BBC documentary being broadcast tonight on Ms Everard’s murder would also highlight the work of “dedicated officers working hard to get justice” whorepresented the majority of those in his force.
Sir Mark’s remarks today follow the publication last week of Lady Elish’s report into the multiple failings which allowed Couzens, who was then a serving Met officer, to use his police position to lure Ms Everard into his car before raping and murdering her.
Lady Elish said that eight previous allegations of indecent exposure by Couzens had not been pursued adequately and that a host of opportunities to stop him joining the police or continuing his career had been missed by the Met and the two other forces, Kent Police and the Civil Nuclear Constabulary, where he had previously.
