News
Boris Johnson has backed much-derided advice from the Metropolitan Police that women should flag down a passing bus if they are stopped by an officer they do not trust.
The advice was given out after Met Police firearms officer Wayne Couzens 48, was handed a whole life sentence at the Old Bailey on Thursday for the kidnap, rape and murder of Sarah Everard.
The force also suggested that women should shout out to a passer-by, run away and knock on doors, or call 999 if they felt unsafe in the presence of a lone officer. But the advice was met with huge backlash as people criticised the force for putting the onus on women to keep themselves safe.
On Sunday, Andrew Marr put the measures to Johnson during an interview on his show.
The Prime Minister responded: “If you are suspicious about the way in which you are being treated by a police officer and you are worried for some reason, then clearly you should seek help in the way you have described.
“My view is that the police do – overwhelmingly – a wonderful job and what I want is the public, and women in particular, girls and young women, women of all ages, to trust the police.
“They are overwhelmingly trustworthy. What has happened has been appalling.”
"The murder of Sarah Everard… has triggered the feelings of huge numbers of people" PM Boris Johnson tells #Marr "… https://t.co/aYFd9s4Fx9— BBC Politics (@BBC Politics) 1633250418
Johnson also rejected calls for an immediate public inquiry into the case, saying investigations by the Met Police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct should be allowed to proceed.
And, asked about cuts to budgets, Johnson said “record sums” were being put in to “all parts of government” but the problems in the justice system were about more than money.
He added: “We will stop at nothing to make sure that we get more rapists behind bars and we have more successful prosecutions for rape and for sexual violence. Because that, I think, is going wrong.”
After the interview, people were astounded that the PM would align himself with advice that prompted such fury, with many criticising his call for women to “trust the police”:
It’s appalling that the PM is repeating this. If your response to the horrific murder of Sarah Everard is to advise… https://t.co/lt6VmPpwSW— Lisa Nandy (@Lisa Nandy) 1633253032
Boris Johnson: If you're suspicious about the way you're being treated by a police officer, shout and run away. Bl… https://t.co/81tofGhZGO— Femi (@Femi) 1633250535
Johnson tells us that we should "trust the police." Sarah Everard trusted the police, and she was murdered. 😡 He cl… https://t.co/b5ICIUoA9k— Rowan Middleton 🇵🇸 #blacklivesmatter (@Rowan Middleton 🇵🇸 #blacklivesmatter) 1633255840
"People should trust the police" - a Boris Johnson failing to recognise Sarah Everard did and was kidnapped, raped and murdered.— Kevin Maguire (@Kevin Maguire) 1633249939
After Couzens was jailed, a spokesperson from the force said it is unusual for a single plainclothes police officer to engage with Londoners and that people should attempt to verify their “identity and intentions” if they do so.
But it added: “If after all of that you feel in real and imminent danger and you do not believe the officer is who they say they are, for whatever reason, then I would say you must seek assistance – shouting out to a passer-by, running into a house, knocking on a door, waving a bus down or if you are in the position to do so calling 999.”
The police spokesperson added that people who get stopped should ask “where are your colleagues, where have you come from, why are you here and exactly why are you stopping or talking to me?” and that it is reasonable to request “independent verification” like hearing the voice of another officer over the radio.
“All officers will, of course, know about this case and will be expecting in an interaction like that - rare as it may be - that members of the public may be understandably concerned and more distrusting than they previously would have been, and should and will expect to be asked more questions,” the spokesperson said.
However, the court heard that Couzens was carrying identification when he stopped the marketing executive, falsely claimed he was arresting Everard under Covid lockdown laws, and did so in the presence of witnesses.
Therefore, women were quick to condemn the police for suggesting that “running away” would work and pointed out that having to call the police on the police is bleakly ironic:
This is great advice. It's a well-known fact that buses always drive past every time an offence takes place, and bu… https://t.co/GvAeEkNTHl— Chris Scullion (@Chris Scullion) 1633074963
Why are they talking about 'waving down buses' instead of announcing a tireless, roots and stem investigation into… https://t.co/idEV7Fi8B9— Sam Parker (@Sam Parker) 1633101133
A belated good morning, Twitter. Tea and I can’t even. But I’ll try. -Buses don’t stop when you wave. That’s taxis… https://t.co/wrERv9GULP— Stephanie Butland (@Stephanie Butland) 1633078306
If Sarah Everard had phoned 999 to check up on Wayne Couzens, as suggested, she’d have been assured he was a servin… https://t.co/5kOOC8IDtD— Jeanie Finlay (@Jeanie Finlay) 1633077029
The police are telling us to run away from the police and then call the police. We are nowhere near as ‘developed’… https://t.co/DUXEJroZUI— jack rem x (@jack rem x) 1633063995
WTAF is this? Police telling us to act in a way that they could then say is illegal (poss obstruction) or shoot us… https://t.co/dBKXmFaCj4— Maggie Chapman MSP (@Maggie Chapman MSP) 1633067272
Man said call the police on the police 🤯 https://t.co/SckhI76Mn8— GUVNA B (@GUVNA B) 1633076683
@headgrassman @LBC Met police: if you are being arrested just run away— Musty Springfield (@Musty Springfield) 1633068585
@LBC Yeah, sure. Run away from the cops. They'll definitely just let you do that. Nothing bad could happen there— Test your might (@Test your might) 1633031146
@LBC It would be hard to run from a police officer, especially if frightened. Many would freeze.— Elaine - #freeNazanin #FreeAnousheh (@Elaine - #freeNazanin #FreeAnousheh) 1633034042
People also said the onus should be on the police, not women, to ensure violent criminals do not make their way into their ranks:
This plays right into the vile culture of victim-shaming we so often see when women are assaulted. It's not our jo… https://t.co/GZgnXNmvk8— Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP (@Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP) 1633093222
Feel like the onus should be on the police to make women feel safe, not on their own ability to fucking peg it https://t.co/UP9vI9MtfG— James Felton (@James Felton) 1633037924
Bloody hell! The Met Police must be mad. Disgusting. The list appears to be getting longer on what women must do to… https://t.co/F3GnBCsoy2— Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu (@Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu) 1633073319
@BBCNews Seriously, please can we hear more about rooting out rogue police officers across the UK - and less about… https://t.co/nD2a5n3Nng— Peter Harvey (@Peter Harvey) 1633074862
WHY NOT STOP TELLING WOMEN HOW TO REACT AND START TELLING OFFICERS HOW NOT TO FRIGHTEN/ASSAULT/MURDER WOMEN https://t.co/sE9hNb6NOo— Fiona Sturges (@Fiona Sturges) 1633038111
@LBC No. How about vet them properly during the recruitment process?— Chrissie💙 Grech (v)🇪🇺 #JohnsonOut (@Chrissie💙 Grech (v)🇪🇺 #JohnsonOut) 1633031517
And some questioned whether getting on a bus was as safe as they implied:
This is so grim. If someone believe they are in 'real and imminent danger' - **from a police officer** they've to f… https://t.co/mGWtBI8FRM— Ruth Davidson (@Ruth Davidson) 1633077989
We've now reached the point where the public are being advised to flag down buses to protect themselves from police… https://t.co/pC9GrokNRQ— (((Dan Hodges))) (@(((Dan Hodges)))) 1633076736
@stephenkb Apparently bus drivers should stop if someone is waving them down in the street away from a bus stop, ju… https://t.co/yskpaHhp0t— Wes Streeting MP (@Wes Streeting MP) 1633083090
Yeah that notorious women’s safe space, a bus https://t.co/ofaPjmA7AL— Sian Harries (@Sian Harries) 1633082663
People also pointed out that there have been times in which people have challenged the police, only for them to be shot at or arrested:
@LBC The family of Jean Charles de Menezes may take issue with advice to 'run away if you don't feel safe' coming f… https://t.co/PYC86mgsQB— KevInCornwall (@KevInCornwall) 1633036888
Can anyone else see a problem with taking this course of action? Especially if you are e.g. Black? https://t.co/D867KAm5H7— MiMi Aye (@MiMi Aye) 1633077011
While others, including senior politicians, questioned if the Metropolitan Police were taking the issue of violence against women seriously enough:
It is right to ask the question whether the police can be relied on to protect women. And it's right to expect a pr… https://t.co/NPo4aZwQIb— Jo Maugham (@Jo Maugham) 1633077806
Enough is enough. We need to treat violence against women and girls as seriously as terrorism.— David Lammy (@David Lammy) 1633079007
There are serious questions for the Met police to answer after the sentencing of Sarah Everard’s killer. The betray… https://t.co/f19NIRQm6N— Joanna Cherry QC (@Joanna Cherry QC) 1633072807
Today in my constituency surgery I will see a sexually exploited teenager waiting years for trial and the sister of… https://t.co/PiDzWMj4MA— Jess Phillips MP (@Jess Phillips MP) 1633067905
A spokeswoman for Solace Women’s Aid said: “Any man intent on causing serious harm or murder is unlikely to stop in their tracks if asked some probing questions, even more so a police officer who is in a position of power.
“Instead of deflecting responsibility on to women and creating guidelines to moderate their behaviour to keep themselves safe, the police need to say what they are going to do to address systemic misogyny in their own ranks and to rebuild trust with women.”
Refuge chief executive Ruth Davison said: “Time and again, the Metropolitan Police have responded to incidents of gender-based violence by telling women to change their behaviour.
“Time and again, the responsibility is placed on women to protect themselves.
“This is simply not good enough. Police forces across the country must be prepared for a fundamental shift and overhaul in their attitudes towards women and root out the misogyny that is at the heart of these failings.
“Refuge keenly awaits the Met’s strategy for tackling violence against women and girls. Women deserve better.”
If you want to learn more about your rights when dealing with the police, click here.
Top 100
The Conversation (0)
x