In light of the recent series of scandals and failures in the Metropolitan Police leading to the implementation of special measures and the appointment of a new police commissioner, WRC is holding an event exploring what is next for the Metropolitan police, specifically in relation to VAWG.
Sophie Linden, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime and Assistant Commissioner for Met Operations of the Metropolitan Police, Louisa Rolfe, will be speaking to representatives from the VAWG Sector about the changes that are happening in the police currently and what it means for the VAWG Sector, and will be available to answer any questions from the Sector. With the newly elected Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley commencing in role from September, this is a unique opportunity for members of the VAWG Sector to influence his priorities and ensure that VAWG is at the top of the agenda.
There will then be a chance for participants to discuss what changes they would like to see being made, what they think needs to be done and any potential solutions that can be used to work together with statutory services for women when they interact with the police and the criminal justice system and increase trust amongst women in London.
These two significant changes have come about as a result of recent scandals and inexcusable failures including the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer, the strip-search of Child Q, the stop and search of Bianca Williams, the offensive message exchanges between offices at Charing Cross police station and failures in the Stephen Port case, all of which point to issues of institutional misogyny, racism and homophobia in the metropolitan police. All these things have contributed to a significant decrease in public confidence in the police force in recent years.
The introduction of these special measures and a new commissioner who has promised ‘urgent reforms’ and pitched a 100-day plan to start turning the Met around, are welcomed as a unique opportunity to both influence and scrutinise the much needed changes in the Met police.
Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity for women’s organisations in London to speak truth to power and have a real impact on the next steps taken by the Metropolitan police!
Speakers
Sophie Linden, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime
AC Louisa Rolfe, Assistant Commissioner for Met Operations, Metropolitan Police Service
Who’s it for?
This event is welcome to all but London attendees are given priority due to strict funder requirements*. We will allow out of London participants providing there is space on the event.
*This event is funded for women’s organisations or projects based in London working with those affected by sexual and domestic violence.
Accessibility
WRC strives for all our events to be fully accessible. Please let us know of any accessibility needs that you have and we will do our best to accommodate them.
Quotes from previous WRC events
“It was FANTASTIC. Thank you so much for all the effort (practical and emotional) you all put in. Can’t say enough how great the event was”
“Fantastic session! Felt energised, inspired and validated! Thank you.”
“It was very inspiring and educational. I hope to attend more events in the future.”
More information
For more information about the event, please contact Laura on laura@wrc.org.uk
