Newspaper column 7 October 2021 - Police reforms

 

Last week the horrifying and heart breaking last moments of Sarah Everhard’s life were heard at the Old Bailey.  My sincere condolences and admiration go out to Sarah’s family, who have been so very brave. 

What is so shocking about this case is that this man abused his position as a Metropolitan Police Officer and used his warrant card to ‘arrest’ Sarah for supposedly breaking lockdown rules. I, like Sarah, was raised to respect the authority of the police.  If I had been approached by this man, I would absolutely have got in his car, as would all of the women in my professional and social circles, that I have spoken with on this.  I would have worried about what I had done wrong and about what affect it would have on my life.  I would be scared I might receive a criminal record; Sarah should not have been terrified for her life. 

The subsequent advice to resist a lone officer wanting to arrest was incredibly disappointing from Cressida Dick.  I have raised this with the Home Secretary, and I am awaiting a date for a meeting with her to discuss further.  In my opinion, we should not be telling women to run.  We should be telling men NOT to hurt women.  There was already so much work to do to encourage women and girls to report crimes against them and to ensure their perpetrators face justice.  This case has the potential to set the hard work of many back years. 

I am appalled to hear that a second man in the same unit has been in court this week charged with rape.  One would hope that Sarah’s case was isolated, but last week I heard a senior female officer describe the need for a culture change for a ‘significant minority’ of male officers; not a tiny minority.

I must say, however, that in the wake of this case, I spoke with the Police Federation here in Devon & Cornwall, as well as with our Police & Crime Commissioner, Alison Hernandez.  Devon & Cornwall police officers feel “utterly betrayed” by this man and we are with them 100%.  Our police officers have a hard enough time and we must remember that in all, but a few isolated cases, a police officer does indeed signal safety for women and girls in trouble.  We must give officers the tools to successfully whistle blow on concerns about colleagues, without fear or favour.  We must also ensure that Devon & Cornwall Police gets as much resource as possible, which is why I continue to call for tourism to be included in the next funding formula.

I will use my position to bring about change so that we can continue to raise our daughters to respect police officers and ensure that women and girls have the provision they need to feel safe and be safe.

In a follow-up from my column last week, Baby Loss Awareness Week 2021 runs from 9th to 15th October.  Sarah Chaplin, the Senior Chaplain at RCHT is organising the annual service to be held online on Sunday 10th October The baby loss service event will go live on Sunday 10th October at 2pm on Royal Cornwall Hospital Treliske’s website, and will be available afterwards on YouTube.

As ever, if you need my assistance with anything then my team and I are here to help. Please get in touch with me by email at Cherilyn.mackrory.mp@parliament.uk , or by telephone on 01872 229698. I have now restarted my regular constituency advice surgeries, held in a covid-safe environment at my office, so please do get in touch should you wish to meet me about any matters that I can be of assistance with.