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
The false guise of an arrest. The chair of the inquiry into his conduct and background, says without a radical overhaul of Police Vetting and recruitment, theres nothing to stop another couzens operating in plain sight. June kelly reports. He was a predatory sex offender in a police uniform. A criminal with state sanctioned powers. Wayne couzens should never have been allowed to become a police officer, and Continualflawed Vetting meant he was able to stay in his role despite a series of red flags. These are among the stark conclusions of todays inquiry report into couzens. It examined his career, his behaviour and the way he was vetted. The metropolitan Police Service told the inquiry in 2022 that it still have recruited him if provided with the same information. I found this astonishing. Now is the time for change. Without a significant overhaul, there is nothing to stop another Wayne Couzens operating in plain sight. The report described how in 2004 and 2008, kent police turned down