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Five Years On, Vigil Honors Sarah Everard as Met Touts Integrity Reset, Critics Point to Gaps

Inquiry findings about vetting failures and stalled safeguards keep pressure on police forces to change.

Overview

  • About 100 people gathered at Clapham Common for a peaceful remembrance near where Sarah Everard was last seen, with donations raised for Solace Women’s Aid.
  • Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley called the murder a profound betrayal and said an integrity reset has removed about 1,500 officers and staff while tightening vetting and standards.
  • The Angiolini Inquiry found police missed eight opportunities to stop Wayne Couzens and concluded he should never have been a police officer.
  • Follow‑up reporting says key recommendations remain only partly implemented, with roughly a quarter of forces still lacking clear policies for handling sexual offences by officers.
  • Leaders including London mayor Sadiq Khan and minister Jess Phillips said further action is needed to tackle violence against women and rebuild trust, as Couzens serves a whole‑life sentence at HMP Frankland.