There needs to be a full, Stephen Lawrence-style judicial inquiry into the case and broader police culture
From the moment Sarah Everard was stopped by Wayne Couzens, she probably never had a chance. He was armed with a police badge, belt and handcuffs; with strength, power and authority. The lockdown laws, which have hugely expanded police discretion, were ripe for abuse. In coming weeks, many senior voices in the police, politics and media will claim that Couzens was a single bad apple in an otherwise functional system. But we must not budge until there are fundamental changes in how we fund and train the police, and how we legislate around crime.
Those who consistently warn against excessive police power don’t do so because they are “soft on crime” or think the police are a wicked breed apart. Police officers inevitably reflect wider society, with all its misogyny, racism and corruption, alongside its nobler qualities of courage and public service. A senior investigator told Sky News that police officers “do not view Wayne Couzens as a police officer”. I have no doubt of the sincerity of his disgust, but magical thinking will not change the fact that Couzens was indeed a police officer, and was even selected and trained to hold firearms.
Shami Chakrabarti was shadow attorney general for England and Wales from 2016 to 2020, and was director of Liberty from 2003 to 2016
