Ministers committed to ending rough sleeping by the end of this year. An inquiry into how a serving metropolitan Police Officer was able to abduct and kill Sarah Everard has concluded he remained on the force because of failures in recruitment and vetting. The inquiry said red flags were missed at the three Different Police forces where Wayne Couzens served over several years. He was off duty when he kidnapped the 33 year old in march 2021. He is now serving a whole Life Sentence for rape and murder. Her killing by a serving Police Officer prompted a widespread outpouring of anger and grief and sparked demonstrations over concern for the safety of women. The chair of the inquiry said that without a radical overhaul of Police Vetting and recruitment there is nothing to stop another Wayne Couzens operating in plain sight. We are expecting the full Police Response shortly but we have heard an Opening Statement from Chief Constable Gavin Stevens who said the harrowing murder of Sarah Evera
For any reason must be removed from policing and every effort must be made to ensure that similar people neverjoin. That is why we are providing funding to the National Police chiefs council to develop an Automated System to flag about Police Officers. We are changing the rules to make it easier for forces to remove those Who Cannot Hold the minimum level of clearance and Police Chiefs are getting back the responsibility for sharing these Conduct Hearings so that they can better uphold the standards in the forces that they lead. There will be a presumption for dismissal for any officerfound to have a presumption for dismissal for any officer found to have committed Gross Misconduct and i can announce today that there will also be an automatic suspension of Police Officers charged with certain criminal offences. But the work must continue. Part two of the report is considering systemic issues in policing such as vetting, recruitment and the culture, as well as the safety of women in pub
There looking at our own insider threat. There is looking at our own insider threat. There is still so much to do in policing there is still so much to do in policing and across society. I would like to policing and across society. I would like to finish by talking directly and speaking directly to women, you will be and speaking directly to women, you will be right to be angry today, about will be right to be angry today, about what you are reading and hearing about what you are reading and hearing i about what you are reading and hearing. I want to stress that policing hearing. I want to stress that policing is hearing. I want to stress that policing is taking this seriously. Ptease policing is taking this seriously. Please do policing is taking this seriously. Please do come forward and seek help and support please do come forward and seek help and support if you need it. Thank ou. We and support if you need it. Thank yom we will and support if you need it. Thank you. We will now an