Five years after the brutal rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer, Women’s Aid Chief Executive Farah Nazeer has issued a stark statement, asserting that entrenched misogyny continues to plague the police force and the broader criminal justice system. Her comments underscore a pervasive fear among women regarding those entrusted with their protection and highlight the urgent need for a radical cultural shift and comprehensive, system-wide reform to address violence against women and girls (VAWG).
The anniversary of Sarah Everard’s death serves as a somber reminder of a tragedy that profoundly shook public trust in law enforcement and ignited a national conversation about women’s safety and police accountability. Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, was abducted, raped, and murdered by Wayne Couzens, a Metropolitan Police officer, in March 2021. The revelation that her killer was a serving member of the force sent shockwaves across the UK, exposing deep-seated issues within policing and sparking widespread outrage, culminating in protests under the banner "Reclaim These Streets."
The Shadow of a Tragedy: Sarah Everard’s Murder and its Aftermath
On March 3, 2021, Sarah Everard disappeared while walking home in Clapham, South London. Her remains were discovered a week later in Kent. The subsequent investigation led to the arrest and conviction of Wayne Couzens, who used his police warrant card and handcuffs to falsely arrest Everard under the guise of breaching COVID-19 lockdown rules. He was later sentenced to a whole life order, meaning he will never be released from prison.
The horrifying nature of the crime, particularly the abuse of police power, triggered an immediate and intense public reaction. Women across the country shared their experiences of feeling unsafe and questioned the integrity of the institutions meant to safeguard them. This period saw an unprecedented level of scrutiny directed at police culture, vetting procedures, and internal disciplinary processes. Promises of fundamental change were made by government officials and police leadership, yet as Farah Nazeer’s statement five years on indicates, the pace and depth of these reforms have been woefully inadequate.
A System Under Scrutiny: The Angiolini Inquiry and Casey Review
In the wake of Everard’s murder, and further revelations of egregious misconduct by other officers, two significant independent reviews were commissioned: the Angiolini Inquiry and the Casey Review. These inquiries were tasked with examining the systemic issues within policing, particularly concerning standards, vetting, and culture.
The first part of the Angiolini Inquiry, published in March 2023, concluded that Couzens should never have been a police officer, detailing multiple missed opportunities and failures in his vetting and professional standards history. It highlighted a "culture of deference" that enabled his past misconduct to go unchallenged. The inquiry made a series of recommendations, including mandatory national standards for vetting and strengthened powers for chief constables to dismiss officers.
The Casey Review, led by Baroness Louise Casey and published in March 2023, delivered a damning indictment of the Metropolitan Police. It concluded that the force was "institutionally racist, misogynistic and homophobic," finding that hundreds of officers who should have been sacked were still serving. The review detailed a culture where misconduct was often ignored, downplayed, or mishandled, leading to a profound erosion of public trust, especially among women and minority communities. It called for fundamental reforms across all aspects of the Met’s operations, from recruitment and training to leadership and accountability.
Farah Nazeer’s statement directly references the slow progress in implementing recommendations from these crucial investigations. She points out that "progress to implement them has been far too slow. In September 2025 more than a quarter of police forces in England and Wales had still not implemented basic policies for investigating sexual offences and we are yet to see active engagement with domestic abuse organisations across the country." This highlights a concerning gap between the official acknowledgement of systemic problems and the practical, on-the-ground changes needed.
Persistent Misogyny and Erosion of Trust
Women’s Aid’s assertion that misogyny "remains rooted and systemic" within the police force is not an isolated observation. Subsequent high-profile cases have continued to erode public confidence. The conviction of former Metropolitan Police officer David Carrick for multiple rapes and sexual offences against a dozen women over two decades further exposed a pattern of predatory behaviour that went unchecked for years, despite numerous complaints. These cases suggest that the issues highlighted by Everard’s murder were not isolated incidents but symptoms of a deeper cultural malaise.
Data from various sources consistently reinforces these concerns. Reports indicate that hundreds of police officers and staff across the UK face allegations of domestic abuse or sexual offences annually. A significant proportion of these allegations do not result in dismissal or prosecution, raising serious questions about internal accountability mechanisms. Surveys consistently show a decline in public trust in policing, with women disproportionately expressing feelings of insecurity and a lack of faith in police protection. This erosion of trust is particularly acute among women who have experienced VAWG, making them less likely to report crimes or seek help from law enforcement.
The Survivor’s Perspective: Barriers to Justice
Farah Nazeer powerfully articulates the challenges faced by survivors, stating, "we continue to hear that survivors are experiencing poor and unsupportive responses from the police and the broader criminal justice system, with many choosing not to report the crimes against them for fear of not being believed." This fear is substantiated by national statistics on VAWG reporting and conviction rates. While millions of incidents of domestic abuse, sexual violence, and other forms of VAWG occur each year, only a fraction are reported to the police. Of those reported, a significantly smaller proportion lead to charges, and an even smaller percentage result in convictions. This "attrition rate" at every stage of the criminal justice process sends a clear message to survivors: the system is often not equipped or willing to deliver justice.
The challenges are amplified for Black, minoritised, and migrant women. As Nazeer notes, "their collective experiences of interacting with the police compound this fear." These communities often face existing systemic discrimination, racial profiling, and language barriers, leading to heightened distrust of authorities. For these women, reporting VAWG can involve navigating not only the trauma of the abuse but also the fear of further marginalisation, disbelief, or even adverse immigration consequences. Specialist organisations working with these communities consistently highlight how intersectional discrimination creates additional barriers to accessing support and justice.
Call for Radical Cultural Shift and Systemic Reform
To address these profound issues, Women’s Aid advocates for a "radical cultural shift" within policing and the criminal justice system. This shift, according to Nazeer, must manifest in police proactivity in "engaging with specialists and survivors… as opposed to the exception or the pilot." This proposed approach moves beyond reactive responses to incidents and instead emphasizes preventative measures, collaborative working, and a survivor-centred ethos. Specialist organisations, like Women’s Aid, possess invaluable expertise and understanding of the complexities of VAWG and the needs of survivors. Integrating their insights into police training, policy development, and operational practices is crucial for creating a truly responsive and supportive system.
Women’s Aid stresses that for true change to occur, the government "must work with specialist organisations… to develop training that addresses sexism, misogyny and VAWG, which then must be delivered to the width and breadth of the criminal justice system." This call for comprehensive, system-wide training underscores the belief that misogyny and sexism are not isolated to individual officers but are embedded within institutional structures and attitudes. A holistic reform would encompass not only police forces but also prosecutors, judges, probation services, and other key players in the justice system, ensuring a consistent and informed approach to VAWG cases. The ultimate goal, Nazeer states, is "to ensure that women are protected from predatory men," a protection that currently feels elusive for many.
Government Pledges and Slow Progress
The government has made a "deeply welcome pledge to halve VAWG in the next decade." This ambitious goal, however, requires more than rhetoric. Nazeer argues that "for this goal to become a reality, there must be a whole-system response, going beyond the reforms to the criminal justice system alone." This perspective acknowledges that VAWG is a societal issue with roots extending beyond law enforcement and justice, encompassing education, economic inequality, cultural norms, and public health.
Despite numerous "announcements, reports, reviews and commitments" since Sarah Everard’s murder, the tangible action required to drive this change has been insufficient. The slow implementation of Angiolini Inquiry recommendations, particularly the failure of a quarter of police forces to implement basic policies for investigating sexual offences, points to a persistent lack of urgency and accountability. Furthermore, the absence of "active engagement with domestic abuse organisations across the country" indicates a failure to leverage existing expertise and build vital partnerships. Without this cultural shift in approach by police forces and the government’s sustained commitment to working collaboratively with specialist organisations, meaningful change will remain elusive.
The Broader Implications: Beyond Policing
The legacy of Sarah Everard’s murder extends beyond the immediate need for police reform. It has brought into sharp focus the broader societal attitudes that perpetuate VAWG and the need for a fundamental re-evaluation of how women’s safety is prioritised. The call for a "whole-system response" implies a recognition that ending VAWG requires addressing root causes, challenging harmful stereotypes, promoting respectful relationships from a young age, and ensuring that economic and social policies support women’s equality and safety.
The fifth anniversary of Sarah Everard’s death serves as a critical juncture. It is a moment to reflect not only on the tragedy itself but also on the collective responsibility to ensure that such an event never happens again. Women’s Aid’s powerful statement is a clear demand for accountability and genuine action. Sarah Everard, and the "countless women who lost their lives to violent, predatory men," deserve a society where they are not only protected but also truly believed and respected. The path to achieving the government’s pledge to halve VAWG is long and arduous, requiring sustained political will, robust funding for specialist services, and a profound, unwavering commitment to transforming institutional cultures across the UK.
