Quarter of Security Forces Lack Basic Sexual Crime Policies

A new stage of the Angiolini Inquiry reveals that over a quarter of police forces in England and Wales still lack basic policies to investigate sexual crimes

sarah

Dec 2, 2025 - 19:31

Quarter of Security Forces Lack Basic Sexual Crime Policies

Four years after the rape and murder of Sarah Everard, a report has found that more than a quarter of police forces in England and Wales have not implemented basic policies for investigating sexual crimes.

The latest stage of the Angiolini Inquiry found that urgent action is now needed to prevent further violent, sexual attacks against women and girls, including those targeting predatory men.

Inquiry Chair Lady Elish Angiolini KC said there is a gap between how violence against women is tackled and other high-priority crimes, where "funding and prevention activity is the norm."

Responding to the Inquiry, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government would "carefully consider every recommendation of the Inquiry."

Miss Everard was kidnapped and murdered by serving police officer Wayne Couzens while walking home in South London in March 2021.

Couzens, who is serving a life sentence in prison, was a police officer for nearly 20 years before killing Ms. Everard. He is alleged to have misrepresented himself on two separate occasions in the months before the attack.

Violence against women and girls (VAWG) has been declared a "national threat," and by 2023, the government required police forces to coordinate their response and resources to tackle such crimes with other national threats.

Lady Elish added: "Until this gap is addressed, violence against women and girls cannot confidently be called a 'national priority.'"

The report also expressed concern about gaps in national data, including how many women report being victims of rape and other sexually motivated crimes in public places.

Lady Elish warned that if these data are not collected and recorded consistently across all forces, crime patterns cannot be detected.

Miss Everard's family said in a statement that they hope the results of this latest investigation will have "far-reaching" consequences.

"This shows how much work remains to be done to prevent sexually motivated crime against women and all those at risk in public spaces," the statement said. "Sarah will always be in our thoughts, and we believe the investigation will continue to honor her memory. We understand the urgent need for positive change."

New recommendations in the second part of the Angiolini investigation include encouraging more people to take action when they witness abusive behavior, introducing a comprehensive Good Samaritan law, and continuously collecting and sharing data at the national and local levels.

Farah Naz is the aunt of Zara Alina, who was sexually assaulted and murdered by a notorious criminal in East London in 2012. She says she hopes the Good Samaritan law she supported will be taken seriously and implemented swiftly.

He said: "My niece was walking home. That's all she was doing. This report examines not only the specific failings involving Sara and Zara, but also the broader structures, cultural patterns, and operational weaknesses that put women and girls at risk in public spaces."

Other recommendations include better street lighting, improved education about positive masculinity for men and boys, and consistent public messaging about how to report crimes like indecent exposure.

In a statement, the Home Secretary said: "Four years after the tragic murder of Sarah Everard, my thoughts today are with her family and all those who loved her.

"As Home Secretary, I will do everything I can to ensure that women and girls can live free from fear and harm – something Sarah was so brutally denied."

She said the government plans to halve violence against women and girls over the next ten years and will soon outline its strategy on violence against women and girls.