London police acted appropriately over murdered woman's vigil-watchdog

LONDON: London police acted appropriately at a vigil to a murdered woman earlier this month, an independent watchdog said on Tuesday, after the force was criticised for a heavy-handed approach which saw mourners dragged away by officers.

The murder of Sarah Everard, 33, sparked a huge outpouring of grief and dismay in Britain at the failure of police and wider society to tackle violence against women.

At a vigil in her memory, which police said broke COVID-19 lockdown rules, officers faced accusations of acting with undue force after a number of women were pinned down and then dragged away in handcuffs after the crowd refused orders to disperse.

"Officers are our fellow citizens, invested by the community to keep the community safe," said Thomas Winsor, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary who carried out an investigation into the incident.

"They rely upon and are entitled to receive public support when they act lawfully, sensitively and proportionately; in this case, in the face of severe provocation and in very difficult circumstances, they did just that."

The report said public confidence in the London Police had suffered as a result of the vigil, and that given the impact of images of women being arrested which gained widespread media coverage "a more conciliatory response after the event might have served the Met’s interests better".