Statement following the publishing of Angiolini Inquiry report

A report has been published today (29 February) following the release of Part 1 of Lady Elish Angiolini’s Inquiry into the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by an off duty Metropolitan Police Officer.

The Inquiry, commissioned in November 2021, by the then Home Secretary Priti Patel, was further extended, in May 2023, to look into Carrick’s criminal behaviour and the decision making around police vetting, as well as any abuse of police powers.

The findings, shared today, highlight systematic failings in police investigations, vetting and the handling of misconduct allegations.  

The report examines the career and previous conduct of Couzens and the opportunities and red flags which were missed. It also makes 16 recommendations for policing, of which 11 refer directly to all police forces to review and implement.

These recommendations relate to vetting procedures, the handling of misconduct allegations, and the way forces investigate sexual offences, including the recommendation that all forces should have a specialist policy on investigating offences such as indecent exposure. This recommendation was made after it emerged that Couzens’ car had been linked to a report of indecent exposure in 2015 but he was never spoken to.

The recommendations also highlight improvements to be made to vetting practices and procedures, building on the work of the historic data wash which was carried out by all police organisations last year. There are several recommendations for improvements into how misconduct allegations are dealt with, including providing dedicated reporting processes for women in police forces who experience inappropriate behaviour related to their gender.

Chief Constable Tim De Meyer said: “First, my thoughts are with Sarah Everard’s family and all those affected by her murder.

“The findings of the Angiolini Inquiry make for extremely uncomfortable reading for all of us in policing. Particularly troubling is its conclusion that Couzens should never have been a police officer in the first place, and that opportunities were missed to bring him to justice and stop his predatory behaviour before he went on to kill Sarah Everard.

“Whilst the report focuses on the career and previous behaviour of Couzens, its recommendations apply to all forces. Surrey Police will swiftly attend to these recommendations and see that anyone in our force who poses a risk women and girls is dealt with robustly, and that we take all necessary steps to address misogyny wherever it is to be found in our culture.

“We are not complacent. We have already carried out a lot of work to improve our vetting procedures and the way we deal with allegations of misconduct against our staff.

“This includes work last year which checked the details of all serving police officers, staff and volunteers against the Police National Database (PND) to identify any areas of concern that had been missed and warranted further investigation. Here in Surrey, we also took the further step of checking all employees against our own police records management system.

“We have also set about a comprehensive programme of cultural change in respect of challenging, reporting and tackling unethical or unprofessional behaviour. This has included every officer and staff member undertaking mandatory training relating to abuse of position for a sexual purpose, gender and racial bias.

“We also have a confidential internal anti-corruption reporting tool ‘Anonymous’, which encourages colleagues to report anything of concern.

“The great majority of our officers and staff are professional, selfless, courageous and a credit to Surrey Police. However, it is essential that we deal swiftly and robustly with those who present a risk to the public or to colleagues.  We are determined to root out anyone who is not fit to serve the county and its communities."

The full report and recommendations can be read here.