Police misogyny: Why won’t Priti Patel act?
Yesterday’s IOPC report into the behaviour of officers based in Charing Cross is the latest in a long line of reports revealing misogyny in the Metropolitan Police Force. The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, is ultimately responsible for policing. At the Home Affairs Select Committee she today stated,
“that is why through the Angiolini Inquiry we are specifically looking at the culture of policing because we have to, we got to really pull back the layers, in terms of not just attitudes but what is that culture, .. that permeates in policing and what are we going to do, collectively to change that.”
Harriet Wistrich, Director of Centre for Women’s Justice, has stated the following in response:
“The Angiolini inquiry is not looking at the culture of policing. Anyone looking at the terms of reference can see that is untrue. An inquiry into only one specific incident, albeit an horrific one, cannot come close to uncovering what that culture is and why and how it permeates policing - let alone what we can do to change it.
“The Home Secretary continues to resist calls to put the inquiry on a statutory footing which would provide it with legal powers to obtain disclosure, compel witnesses and protect whistleblowers, victims and survivors. She continues to refuse to consider other incidents of police violence against women and girls. Even the second part will be constrained by the first. At best the second part will rely on a series of other investigations being conducted by the IOPC, HMICFRS, and the Metropolitan Police itself all of which will take place outside the public glare.
“Only the review led by Baroness Louise Casey, instructed by the Metropolitan Police Commissioner and conducted behind closed doors, is currently tasked with investigating the culture and standards of behaviour within the MPS. This means that the extent to which the culture of the Met police is even looked at in Phase 2 of the Angiolini Inquiry is entirely dependent on the findings of one Met review, if it even takes those findings into account at all.
“If she really wishes to provide assurance to the public and root out the misogyny, racism and homophobia we saw from those Charing Cross Officers, we again invite her to exercise the powers given her by Parliament under the Inquiries Act and make the Inquiry one that can seek the truth unimpeded and recommend real changes. If not, we will continue with our judicial review and hope the Courts will insist she do so.”
Yesterday, Centre for Women’s Justice, launched a CrowdJustice campaign to raise funds to pursue legal action against the Home Secretary's decisions around the Angiolini Inquiry.
The full application for a judicial review will be lodged by the charity next week. Their calls for a wider statutory inquiry are supported by more than 20 national organisations specialising in violence against women in girls.