By Ben Kerrigan-
The UK government has announced significant measures aimed at overhauling police vetting and recruitment processes.
These measures come in the wake of revelations that multiple opportunities to prevent Wayne Couzens’ heinous crime were missed by various police forces.
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Among the measures will be a home visit for everyone applying to become a police officer as part of an overhaul of the recruitment process following the murder of Sarah Everard by Wayne Couzens.
Tougher vetting will be used in a bid to better understand a candidate’s motivation for joining the police, with family members and housemates questioned.
Couzens, who was a serving officer in the Metropolitan Police, abduct
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The Angiolini report, published last month, shed light on critical shortcomings within the police system that allowed Couzens to evade detection before committing his atrocious act.
As a result, the government has committed to implementing a series of recommendations to address these failures and prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
The government has accepted several key recommendations from the Angiolini report, including Conducting a fundamental review of the treatment of masturbatory indecent exposure within the criminal justice system.
Commissioning research to establish a potential link between indecent exposure and subsequent contact offending.
Launching a public awareness campaign to highlight the criminality of indecent exposure and unsolicited genital photographs.
Home Secretary James Cleverly expressed profound regret over Sarah Everard’s murder, emphasizing that she was failed by the institutions meant to protect her. Cleverly underscored the government’s commitment to understanding the link between indecent exposure and further criminal behavior to prevent such atrocities in the future.
Minister for Victims and Safeguarding, Laura Farris, echoed Cleverly’s sentiments, emphasizing the government’s determination to leave no stone unturned in preventing similar offenses from occurring again.
Previous Government Actions
Since 2021, the government has taken significant steps to address issues within the police force and prioritize the safety of women and girls. These actions include:
Conducting integrity screening of all serving officers and staff.
Strengthening requirements on officer vetting.
Implementing changes to the police disciplinary system.
Establishing a Violence Against Women and Girls Policing taskforce.
The government will work in partnership with the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to deliver the recommendations outlined in the Angiolini report. Further details on the implementation plan will be provided in due course.
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