There is an old saying that trust leaves on horseback, but returns on foot. The appalling abduction and murder of Sarah Everard in March was a moment when women and girls no longer felt safe. The sentencing of her murderer this week, which revealed the full extent of this horrific crime and the abhorrent abuse of trust that lay at the heart of it, was a second blow. Advice has been now issued by the Metropolitan Police to women as to how to stay safe if a police officer approaches them. Those reading it are to be forgiven if they conclude that the world has gone mad and that we are truly through the looking glass. The notion that the burden to stay safe should be on our wives, partners, sisters, daughters and female friends is, quite frankly, repugnant and further increases a loss of trust. A society that aspires to be a safe and healthy one deserves much better than this ill-judged paragraph on a website.
Police-bashing, however, is not going to restore that trust, and neither for that matter is the resignation of a police officer, however senior. Having worked with hundreds of police officers during my professional life at the criminal Bar, the vast majority of them are decent and dedicated people doing the right thing, just like the dedicated detective officers who investigated Sarah Everard’s murder and brave officers like PC Andrew Harper, shockingly killed in the line of duty in 2019. Police officers know that the need to stick to the highest standards, not settling for second best, cutting corners or tolerating inappropriate or unlawful behaviour, is in their interest as much as it is in the public interest.
As police numbers continue to rise towards that target of over 20,000 more officers, it is important to note that the aim is also to increase the speed and quality of police work, which is vital when it comes to the investigation of offences, for example. The public also need to know that the police, who are civilians in uniform policing with our consent, are truly accountable too for failure. Whilst the operational independence of our police is of central importance, it should never be used as a cloak against scrutiny. If trust is to be regained, then it has to be understood that to admit fault and failure should be seen as a sign of strength, not weakness.
The Government, together with the criminal justice agencies, has been working to start rebuilding trust. I felt strongly that we needed to publicly admit that the system had not worked for many victims. The Prime Minister and I had long agreed on the importance of better support for victims of rape and sexual offences, which is why funding for victim services, including for Independent Sexual Violence Advisers was increased by a further £150m this year, allowing for more work to be done to reduce the number of complaints that are dropped by victims who have lost faith in the system. The Rape Review, which I published in June, contains an Action Plan with not only a target to increase the number of rape prosecutions, but changes to the way in which files are put together, with more challenge and accountability as part of the process, all aimed at increasing confidence and trust. At the heart of it was a public apology that made to victims of rape. For trust to return, in my judgment this had to be done.
In the months before I left Government, I used my convening power as Lord Chancellor to help co-ordinate a fresh approach to criminal justice. In the past, there had been a depressing tendency by each part of the system to point the finger of blame elsewhere. This had to stop, and I was glad to see a recognition that change was needed. The agreement by the police, CPS and judiciary for the creation and publication of a criminal justice scorecard, which we will see for the first time later this year, will bring together information on timeliness and volume of cases in a much more accessible way. My main aim was to reduce the length of time it took for cases to be dealt with. I am glad that this remains a priority.
The new Victims Law is coming too, which will enshrine in law the Victims Code that I introduced earlier this year. One my last acts as Justice Secretary was to have signed off on a consultation process ahead of a Bill to be introduced within a few months. My aim was for greater accountability to then prompt changes that would reduce the number of times when things go wrong. A system that is merely wise after the event does nothing to help a victim of crime who has been denied justice.
If anything positive can arise from the aftermath of this most horrific of cases, then it has to be a police and criminal justice system that is more speedy, supportive, responsive and ready to admit fault than the one we have now.
