Sussex Police: Advice And Reassurance For Women In Sussex

Sussex’s Chief Constable has said she is “intently listening and ready to act” on the experiences of women and girls across Sussex in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard.

Jo Shiner acknowledged the crime has shocked the nation and left some people doubting the police, particularly women.

Sussex Police, working with the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, will develop a programme of engagement with local communities about the issues raised, to help rebuild trust and boost work already underway.

This will also consider all the correspondence received by the force on the issue.

The results will be used to re-evaluate the current policing approach and shared with partners to review wider activity to tackle male violence and enhance women’s safety across Sussex.

Chief Constable Shiner said:

“The crime was horrific and it has eroded the confidence some people have in the police to protect them. As a woman and as a police officer, this hurts, and I know it hurts my colleagues who work hard every day to protect people and catch criminals.

“We are going to have to work really hard and really openly with our communities to rebuild that trust.

“That’s why I want to have a measured conversation with local communities and with colleagues because, if we are not careful, there is a danger we will not bring about the meaningful change we all want, change that will prevent violence against women and girls and the toxic attitudes that lead to it.

“There is an awful lot we are doing within Sussex Police and we must continue to build on this.”

Former Metropolitan police officer, Wayne Couzens, from Kent, was sentenced to life last month for the kidnap, rape and murder of 33-year-old Sarah Everard from a street in South London in March. The court heard he had used his police ID to make a false arrest to carry out the crime which he had planned.

The case has prompted widespread discussion on the issue of violence against women and girls and, last week, the Government announced an independent inquiry into the events leading up to Sarah’s death including examining vetting, professional standards and how predatory or misogynistic behaviour was challenged.

Sussex Police works closely with other agencies, charities and voluntary groups across Brighton and Hove, East Sussex and West Sussex, to tackle violence against women and girls across Sussex.

Its commitment is evidenced through a series of initiatives, some recognised nationally as best practice, which improve services for women and girls.

These include stalking and domestic abuse perpetrator programmes, the introduction of new enhanced safeguarding processes for victims, a new specialist Local Resolution Team which is trained in and deals specifically with cases of domestic abuse, with the ability to connect with victims via discrete video appointments, and the introduction of Sexual Offence Investigation Teams, specially trained to support victims of rape and serious sexual assault.

Last week Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne announced a further £1million in ‘Safer Streets’ Government funding had been secured to tackle violence against women and girls and to support education, awareness and behaviour change programmes across Sussex.

The Chief Constable said a ‘whole society’ approach is needed.

“Everyone has the right to go about their business and feel safe whether that’s in a public space or in their own home. However, I know that’s not always the case, by listening to our communities.

“The police have an important role to play absolutely, but the misogyny and entrenched attitudes that often lead to male violence is a systemic issue and we all need to take responsibility for challenging that behaviour, even at the earliest stage.

“If we all challenge inappropriate behaviour and sexism in all of its forms, and in all environments, and feel confident to do this then we can collectively ensure everyone feels safe.

“Equally, I am committed to support my officers and staff to carry out their work preventing harm, protecting victims, catching criminals, and to do so in an environment where they feel safe to call out behaviour that undermines this and which has no place in Sussex Police.

Identifying police officers

As a result of the case, officers and staff in Sussex understand some people may require additional reassurance.

If this is the case, they can use their police radio on loud speaker, allowing the police control room to confirm the identity of the officer, that they are on duty and carrying out legitimate policing business.

Off-duty officers intervening in a crime in action or where someone is vulnerable, and not carrying a radio, will quickly call 999 for back up.

Street Safe App

Sussex Police is one of a number of police forces currently piloting a new app called Street Safe.

Launched by the Home Office, the Street Safe app allows women to anonymously flag up the areas in public where they feel or have felt unsafe. The information is shared with the relevant agency for action.

“The Street Safe app is a step towards understanding wider issues of safety for women and girls – where it may not be a crime but something is making them feel unsafe or where they feel they have to change their behaviour to do so.

“I would encourage people to use this app to help us, and other local agencies, better understand what we can do in your neighbourhood to make you feel safer,” the Chief Constable added.

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Following the whole life sentence for the murder of Sarah Everard of ex-police officer Wayne Couzens, Sussex Assistant Chief Constable Jayne Dando, Lead for Local Policing, said the following:

"We have all been left shocked and disturbed by the actions of ex-police officer Wayne Couzens.

"First and foremost, our thoughts remain with the courageous family of Sarah Everard, whose happy life has so tragically been cut short.

"Couzens is a vile criminal and his actions horrific. He does not reflect the values of the police service, nor the majority of police officers and staff, who dedicate their lives to helping and protecting the public, including women and girls.

"However, we absolutely recognise and accept that the details of this case will have a profound impact on public trust and confidence in the police, particularly with women.

"We are committed to rebuilding trust with those affected in our communities and will continue to improve our services, working with partners, to prevent and tackle violence against women and girls and to target the perpetrators.

"We have a strong partnership of agencies and charities in Sussex working together on this and to address the root causes of gender inequality, which cannot be addressed by police alone.

"Our commitment is reflected in a range of initiatives, some of which have been recognised as national best practice.

"These include stalking and domestic abuse perpetrator programmes, introduction of new enhanced safeguarding processes for victims, a new specialist Local Resolution Team which is trained in and deals specifically with DA cases, with the ability connect with victims via video appointments and the introduction of Sexual Offences Investigations Teams, officers specially trained to support victims of rape and serious sexual assault.

"We have also successfully embedded the use of Stalking Protection Orders, an area in which the force is leading nationally.

"We have carried out extensive analysis to establish where public place sexual violence occurs and this informs our patrol plans, particularly around the night-time economy. We run specific operations at times we know there is an increased risk of domestic abuse and have well established plans for the easing of lockdown which will see more officers working with partners to provide safeguarding to victims of domestic abuse.

"Throughout the pandemic we continued to be visible in our communities. This has included physical presence at supermarkets to ensure those who are suffering violence and abuse have an ability to talk to officers safely. Sussex Police has also supported and promoted the Ask Ani initiative.

"Policing is a reflection of the society we serve, we are committed to eradicating misogyny and inequality and playing our part in addressing these societal issues.

"Sussex Police has a long history of campaigning for gender equality. With Surrey, we are the only police forces in the world to be named United Nations HeforShe Thematic Champions where we made specific public commitments to address gender inequality and to address violence against women and girls. We have led this work nationally and in 2019 enrolled the support of every UK police force in this global solidarity movement.

"Of course, there is always more we can do and will seek to continuously improve our services, the prevention and detection of offences and outcomes for victims."

Katy Bourne, Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner said: 

“Following the events of recent days, I know that Sussex Police officers and staff are totally committed to ensuring that the public have complete confidence and trust in their local police force to protect and help them.

“Together with Sussex Police, my office is working on projects to tackle male violence against women and girls and I hope this work will go some way towards restoring their perception of safety on the streets of Sussex.”

Advice on interacting with the police if you are concerned:

We fully understand that some members of the public may be concerned and require more reassurance. Our frontline officers and staff want to do all they can to rebuild that trust and will be understanding to an increased level of challenge and scrutiny in their interactions.

It would be extremely unusual for an officer in plain clothes to be working alone when responding to an emergency. If they are, they should be calling for assistance with other officers arriving very soon. This is standard practice.

Detectives and investigators will ordinarily be operating in plain clothes but will always carry police identification.

If you find yourself interacting with a sole police officer and you are alone its entirely reasonable to seek further reassurance of that officer’s identity and intentions. Our advice is to ask:

- For their identification, which they will always carry
- Where are their colleagues?
- Where they are from?
- Exactly why they are stopping and talking to you?

Should you need further reassurance ask them to provide independent verification. Ask to speak through the radio to the operator to verify they are a genuine, acting legitimately, or ask a passer-by to observe, or call 101 or direct message us on Facebook and Twitter which is monitored 24/7 by our control room.

Police officers even when off-duty are committed to taking action if they see a crime taking place or someone in danger. Off-duty officers will usually be in plain clothes but will always carry their police identification and will call for additional police resources

If you genuinely feel threatened or in danger, shout out for help or use 999 to contact police.