Britain's biggest police force has been backed over its handling of the Sarah Everard vigil, although inspectors said the event was a PR disaster that damaged public confidence.
A Watchdog, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS), found that Metropolitan Police officers were not heavy-handed and remained “calm and professional” as crowds gathered in south London on March 13th.
The murder of Ms Everard (33) sparked a huge outpouring of grief and dismay in Britain at the failure of police and wider society to tackle violence against women.
At a vigil in her memory, which police said broke Covid-19 lockdown rules, officers faced accusations of acting with undue force after a number of women were pinned down and then dragged away in handcuffs after the crowd refused orders to disperse.
Inspectors were called in by home secretary Priti Patel and London Mayor Sadiq Khan to examine the force's actions. The ugly scenes attracted an outpouring of criticism and calls for Met chief Dame Cressida Dick to resign.
But the inspectors found that officers at the event did their best to peacefully disperse the crowd, remained calm and professional when subjected to abuse, and did not act inappropriately or in a heavy-handed manner.
They said it was unrealistic to hold a Covid-safe event on the common in light of the numbers of people who would attend and the short time available to plan the vigil.
Sir Thomas Winsor, her majesty's chief inspector of constabulary, said: "Our civilian police model is precious. Officers are our fellow citizens, invested by the community to keep the community safe.
“They rely upon and are entitled to receive public support when they act lawfully, sensitively and proportionately; in this case, in the face of severe provocation and in very difficult circumstances, they did just that.”
Communication issue
While broadly supportive of the handling of the event, HMICFRS found that that there was insufficient communication between police commanders about changing events on the ground.
The silver commander was not told about the arrival of anti-lockdown campaigner Piers Corbyn, when a public address system was put up on the bandstand, or warned that the Duchess of Cambridge would be paying her respects.
The report said: “The silver commander learnt of her visit only when it was reported by Sky News.
“While we understand that it may be the tactic of protection teams to minimise pre-warning of VIPs’ movements, this is a matter of concern.
“The incident illustrates the absence of effective communication to the silver commander about changing events on the ground.”
The watchdog also found that the force should have adopted “a more conciliatory response” amid criticism after the event.
It said: “The media coverage of this incident led to what many will conclude was a public relations disaster for the Metropolitan Police.”
The report went on: “We heard the Metropolitan Police’s response to events described as ‘tone deaf’; we acknowledge that a more conciliatory response might have served the force’s interests better.”
Organisers Reclaim These Streets cancelled their vigil planned on Clapham Common on March 13th after accusing Metropolitan Police bosses of refusing to engage constructively with them.
But crowds attended anyway, leading to clashes between police and protesters who had gathered near the bandstand.
The inspectors said there was a tipping point at about 6pm, when about 1,500 people crowded together to listen to speakers.
Abuse
Officers near the bandstand were outnumbered and faced abuse, including a female officer who was told by women that they wished she would get raped or murdered. Another constable was punched in the face, and one had their baton taken.
Matt Parr, her majesty's inspector of constabulary, who led the inspection team, said: "Amidst a heightened public debate on women's safety, and during an unprecedented pandemic, the Metropolitan Police faced a complex and sensitive policing challenge at Clapham Common.
“Condemnation of the Met’s actions within mere hours of the vigil – including from people in positions of responsibility – was unwarranted, showed a lack of respect for public servants facing a complex situation, and undermined public confidence in policing based on very limited evidence.
“After reviewing a huge body of evidence – rather than a snapshot on social media – we found that there are some things the Met could have done better, but we saw nothing to suggest police officers acted in anything but a measured and proportionate way in challenging circumstances.”
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said that he accepted the report, but added: “It is clear that trust and confidence of women and girls in the police and criminal justice system is far from adequate.
“The events of the weekend of March 13th and 14th have done further damage to this and show that much more needs to be done.” – PA