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Baroness Louise Casey says Met Police hasn't done enough five years after Sarah Everard's murder
The Metropolitan Police has not done enough to protect women and girls in the five years since the murder of Sarah Everard, Baroness Louise Casey has said.
Everard, 33, was walking home in south London when she was abducted, raped and murdered by Wayne Couzens, who was then a serving police officer.
Baroness Casey, chair of the Independent Commission on Adult Social Care, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that, while progress had been made, police were not looking at themselves thoroughly enough to ensure something like Everard's murder never happens again.
Casey's remarks come just days after Met Police chief Sir Mark Rowley said he understood why some women still do not trust his force.
After Everard's murder, Baroness Casey was commissioned to chair a report into the Met Police's conduct.
When asked by Emma Barnett about what progress the police have made since Everard's murder in 2021, there was a long pause before Baroness Casey said: "Progress has been made, do I think it's enough, do I think as a country we are still taking women facing violence seriously enough and are we looking at how the police look at themselves thoroughly enough to make sure it never happens again?
In an interview to mark the fifth anniversary of Everard's murder, Sir Mark said "several ghastly cases of police officers committing awful offences against women" were bound to affect people's trust in the Met Police.
He insisted more women were reporting allegations, but added rebuilding trust in London would take time.
According to data published by the Met, 28 members of staff were dismissed for sexual misconduct in 2024-25, while another 39 officers would have been sacked in the same year had they not resigned or retired.
After its publication, she said a "boys' club" culture was rife and the force could be dismantled if it did not improve.
Sir Mark, who replaced Dame Cressida Dick as commissioner in September 2022, said at the time that his force had "let Londoners down".
'I miss the goodness of Sarah'
Family handout / PA
Susan Everard wrote a tribute in British Vogue to her daughter
Everard's mother Susan wrote a tribute piece for British Vogue this week in which she remembered her daughter's love of travel, dancing, her sense of humour, as well as her principled nature.
"She was interested in the world around her and made the most of life. There was a depth to her, she led her life with decency and integrity," Susan Everard wrote.
"I miss the goodness of Sarah: she was thoughtful and dependable and highly principled."
On 3 March 2021, Everard was walking home in south London when she was abducted by Wayne Couzens, who was then a serving police officer.
He drove her to Kent where he raped and killed her. He was later sentenced to a whole-life term for her murder.
The killing prompted outrage, as well as an outpouring of concern from women about their safety while out in public alone.
Hundreds gathered on London's Clapham Common to lay flowers and pay their respects to Everard, among them the then Duchess of Cambridge.
Later in the evening officers handcuffed and removed a number of women, prompting widespread criticism of the Met for its handling of the vigil, which took place during a period of Covid restrictions.
