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Police Failures on Violence Against Women "Infuriating," Says Boris Johnson

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Boris Johnson has spoken out on the failures of police to take violence against women and girls seriously enough, following the high-profile murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer. The Prime Minister has held talks with the Metropolitan Police commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick, on how to boost prosecutions for rape and secure more convictions. Johnson expressed frustration at the public's perception that police are not doing enough to protect women, citing the need to fix the "diligence, the time, the delay, the confusion about your mobile phone" in handling sexual violence cases.

Key Takeaways:

  • The number of rape cases reported to the police that led to a suspect being charged fell to a record low of 1,490 last year, a rate of 3 per cent.
  • The government has set a target of 13 per cent for this year, a significant increase from last year's rate.
  • Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, has demanded that the Metropolitan Police make immediate changes to the way it handles violence against women.
  • Johnson expressed his trust in the police, stating "Do I fundamentally believe the police are on our side? Yes, absolutely they are. Can you trust the police? Yes you can."
  • However, he acknowledged the need to address the issue of how police treat women, stating "What is unquestionably going up is the number of complaints by women that are not being taken seriously."
  • The Prime Minister also spoke about the issue of "victim attrition," where women give up attempts to find justice because of delays and lack of progress in their cases.

Statistics:

  • 1,490: The number of rape cases reported to the police that led to a suspect being charged last year, a rate of 3 per cent.
  • 13 per cent: The government's target for the number of rap cases reported to the police that will lead to a suspect being charged this year.
  • 250: The number of people murdered by Harold Shipman, a GP who murdered his patients.

Sources:

  • Boris Johnson interview, The Times
  • Sarah Everard reports, The Times
  • Priti Patel interview, London's Evening Standard
  • "We see police now as just men with handcuffs," Janice Turner, page 31, The Times

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