Angiolini Inquiry
On 22 November 2021, Lady Elish Angiolini KC was commissioned by then Home Secretary, Priti Patel, to conduct an independent inquiry as to how off-duty Metropolitan Police officer, Wayne Couzens, had the ability to kidnap, rape, and murder Sarah Everard, a member of the public. One aim of the inquiry was to ensure Everard's family, as well as the public, received a full explanation as to the causes and factors contributing to her murder.
Another aim was to 'bring about greater and earlier recognition of potential sexual and murderous predators, and thereby help improve the safety of women in public spaces'.
Background
On the evening of 3 March 2021, 33-year-old Sarah Everard was kidnapped in South London, England by off-duty Metropolitan Police constable Wayne Couzens. Couzens identified himself as a police officer, handcuffing Everard, and placing her in his car, before driving her to a location near Dover where he raped and strangled her, before burning her body and disposing of her remains in a nearby pond.Inquiry
Setting up of the Inquiry
Following Couzens' sentence to a whole life order on 30 September 2021, on 22 November 2021, Patel announced to Parliament that an independent inquiry was being launched under the management of Lady Angiolini. Patel stated that the inquiry would be over two parts, with the first establishing how Couzens "was able to serve as a police officer for so long and seek to establish definitive account of his conduct", as well as seeking to understanding "the extent to which his behaviour rang alarm bells with his colleagues."With the Angiolini Inquiry being designated as a non-statutory inquiry, it meant Everard's family could be given "closure as quickly as possible", with a statutory inquiry's recommendations not being made for a "number of years".
The inquiry interviewed 144 witnesses, which included current and former police officers and staff, as well as other relevant organisations and members of the public.
Part 1
On 10 January 2022, the terms of reference for Part 1 of the inquiry were set as to 'establish a comprehensive account of the career and overall conduct of the killer of Sarah Everard, to identify any missed opportunities, and to make recommendations based on the findings.'Patel was asked to conclude the first part of the inquiry within nine months from when the terms of reference were set. Whilst work started immediately, there were some delays, due to Couzens, at that time, facing ongoing legal and misconduct proceedings, limiting some aspects of the inquiry proceeding.
The aim of the first part of the inquiry was to 'establish a definitive account of the career and conduct' of Couzens. The report also looked at the years before the incident, establishing a timeline ending at the point where he kidnapped, raped and murdered Everard.
On 29 February 2024, the first part of the Angiolini Inquiry was published. Home Secretary James Cleverly made a statement in the House of Commons in response to the report's publication.
Timeline of career
Timeline of Couzens' offending
Recommendations
Part 1 of the inquiry provided the following recommendations:| No. | Overview | Details | Involved parties | Due date |
| 1 | Approach to investigating indecent exposure | At the earliest opportunity, and by September 2024 at the latest, police forces should ensure that they have a specialist policy on investigating all sexual offences, including so-called ‘non-contact’ offences, such as indecent exposure. | All police forces | Earliest opportunity |
| 2 | Guidance and training on indecent exposure | By December 2024, the College of Policing, in collaboration with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, should improve guidance and training on indecent exposure, in order to improve the quality of investigations and management of indecent exposure cases. In particular, the College of Policing should: - review and update training, informed by crime statistics and research into the nature of indecent exposure and its impact on victims; - review and update the guidance for police officers to improve the handling of indecent exposure cases; - include guidance on appropriate resourcing for investigations; and - ensure that guidance and training reflect the Sentencing Council guidelines, which recognise factors indicating increased harm and culpability. This activity should be informed by the results of Recommendation 4 below |
| December 2024 |
| 3 | Treatment of masturbatory indecent exposure within the criminal justice system | With immediate effect, the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, College of Policing and National Police Chiefs’ Council should work together to conduct a fundamental review of the way masturbatory indecent exposure is treated within the criminal justice system. The review should focus on: recognising the seriousness of the offence; identifying it as an indicator of disinhibition by perpetrators; and understanding and addressing the wider issue of sexual precursor conduct so as to prevent victimisation, improve the response to victims when it occurs and bring more offenders to justice. | Immediate effect | |
| 4 | Research into masturbatory indecent exposure | With immediate effect, the Home Office, in collaboration with the College of Policing, should commission research to establish if there is an evidence-based link between active masturbatory indecent exposure and subsequent contact offending. Where relevant, findings should then be used to shape policy, training and guidance for police officers investigating indecent exposure cases. | Immediate effect | |
| 5 | Public information campaign on indecent exposure | By March 2025, the Home Office, together with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, should launch a public campaign to: - raise awareness about the illegality/criminality and legal consequences of any type of indecent exposure and boost the confidence of victims to report cases of indecent exposure to ensure that more offenders are brought to justice; and - increase publicity around the relevant legislation in order to encourage reporting of unsolicited photographs sent of genitals with the intention to cause harm, distress or humiliation and to discourage perpetrators from doing so. |
| March 2025 |
| 6 | Review of indecent exposure allegations and other sexual offences recorded against serving police officers | By September 2024, the National Police Chiefs’ Council, in collaboration with all force vetting units, and building on the results of the recent data-washing exercise, should conduct a review of the circumstances of all allegations of indecent exposure and other sexual offences recorded on the Police National Database and the Police National Computer against serving officers. This is to identify, investigate and ultimately remove those officers found to have committed sexual offences from all police forces. | September 2024 | |
| 7 | In-person interviews and home visits | With immediate effect, the College of Policing, in collaboration with force recruitment, should ensure that every new candidate applying to become a police officer in any police force undergoes an in-person interview and home visit. This should be designed to provide a holistic picture of the candidate and a better understanding of the candidate's motivations for joining the police and their dedication to serving the public. In particular, this should include the following:- An in-person interview with the candidate to ensure that face-to-face contact is made with the recruiting force before the vetting or onboarding of the candidate is progressed. - A visit to the residence of all new candidates. This should be used as another opportunity, in advance of vetting enquiries, to engage with the candidate, relevant family members or other occupants of the residence, wherever possible. - An integrity questionnaire, used as part of the in-person home visit, to explore fully the candidate's personal attitudes and values, including increased scrutiny of the candidate's motivations and suitability for joining the police. - Corresponding guidance and training for home visits must be developed to ensure that the visits will enable a better sense of the candidate's character, rather than judge living arrangements or socio-economic status. |
| Immediate effect |
| 8 | Recruitment and vetting policy, processes and practices | By June 2024, the College of Policing, in collaboration with force vetting units, should take further steps to prevent those unsuitable for policing from joining the policing profession. This should include further developing the Vetting Code of Practice, Authorised Professional Practice on Vetting, and other guidance on recruitment and vetting practices in order to prevent those who commit sexually motivated crimes against women and those otherwise unsuitable for policing from holding the office of constable. In particular, recruitment and vetting policy, processes and practices must be developed in the following areas:- Applicants should be required to undergo an assessment of their psychological suitability for the role. - There should be more robust use of the Police National Database during vetting, including as a tool to reveal unreported adverse information about applicants to ensure that potential risks are not missed. In particular, the Database should be used when individuals attempt to move between forces. - Any individual identified as having a conviction or caution for a sexual offence should be rejected during police vetting. This should be clearly outlined in the Vetting Code of Practice and reflected in the Authorised Professional Practice on Vetting, which should consider all contact and non-contact sexual offences. - The Authorised Professional Practice on Vetting should be amended to make it clear that military and/or Ministry of Defence checks should be carried out on all applicants who have served as military reservists. - There should be a fundamental review of the link between debt, mental health, vulnerability to corruption and suitability to be a police officer, to inform vetting decisions. Detailed consideration should be given to the amount of unsecured personal debt held by officers, and rules should be amended to mandate officers to report any significant changes in debt to vetting teams. In addition, the rules should require applicants and officers to provide further insight into their finances, including any payday loans, when requested during the vetting process. - There should be increased rigour in relation to checks for authorised firearms officers, to ensure that vetting standards are met, as well as the introduction of a psychological assessment and an appropriate process for seeking feedback from supervisors or line managers to determine suitability for the role. - No police officer should be onboarded, even if only for initial training, before all vetting is complete. In addition, each officer's force vetting should be completed before their National Security Vetting is initiated. All force vetting information should be passed to National Security Vetting officers for consideration. |
| June 2024 |
| 9 | Professional rigour in decision-making | By March 2025, the College of Policing, in collaboration with force vetting units, should take steps to improve the quality and consistency of police vetting decision-making. This should include encouraging the use of greater professional rigour and curiosity when investigating lines of enquiry, in order to prevent those who commit sexually motivated crimes against women and those otherwise unsuitable for policing from joining the policing profession. These steps should include the following: - Recruiting forces should be able to request that unresolved allegations discovered during vetting processes be reinvestigated. - In collaboration with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, a national vetting capability should be created, as an advisory function, to provide another layer of confidence in instances where complex vetting investigations and decisions are required. In such cases, forces should approach the national vetting function to seek proposed lines of enquiry and ensure that they are following an agreed, standardised approach when considering complex cases. - Consideration should be given during vetting to any information or intelligence about police officers being reported missing, regardless of how quickly such reports were closed. - Forces must ensure that force vetting units are complying with and practising Section 6.2 of the College of Policing Authorised Professional Practice on Vetting, which states that force vetting units “must record the results of vetting enquiries; the rationale for refusing, suspending, withdrawing or granting clearance, including with restrictions; and where adverse information has been revealed and considered”. This is to ensure that an audit trail is recorded to give the force confidence in decisions made at the time and to allow future vetting officers to constructively scrutinise vetting enquiries and outcomes. |
| March 2025 |
| 10 | Vetting Code of Practice and transfers | With immediate effect, all recruiting forces should have regard to the new Vetting Code of Practice, which requires the parent force to provide all relevant information requested about the transferee to enable an effective assessment of risk by the force conducting a full re-vet of the transferee. | Immediate effect | |
| 11 | Information-sharing | By December 2024, the College of Policing, in collaboration with force vetting and recruitment units, should ensure that information-sharing practices, including data retention policies, are strengthened in order to prevent those who commit sexually motivated crimes against women and those otherwise unsuitable for policing from remaining in, or moving across, the policing profession. In particular, there should be a focus on the following information: - Previous failures to achieve vetting should be recorded by all forces and flagged to recruiting forces. This should also trigger a re-vet with the current or recruiting force. - A shared agreement should be made about the quality, relevant and necessary content, and sources of information that will be provided in a reference for a future force, also known as a ‘shared referencing protocol’, with directed questions that must be answered. Information to be shared as part of the protocol should be covered within the relevant forces’ fair processing notices. The protocol should apply to all transfers and applications to police forces from individuals in the uniformed services, including: • the Ministry of Defence ; • fire and rescue services; • HM Prison and Probation Service; • other police forces; and • relevant government agencies, such as Border Force or Immigration Enforcement. This is to improve forces’ access to – and ability to use – the totality of information they hold about officers in order to prevent, detect and deal with those likely to commit offences. - As per Recommendation 8, there should be expanded access to and use of the Police National Database, including as a tool for revealing relevant uninvestigated adverse information about officers. d. Any adverse information or intelligence should be passed by the current Professional Standards Directorate to the receiving Professional Standards Directorate for any officers transferring. No decisions on their appointment should be made until that intelligence has been reviewed, recorded and closed and the vetting units have had time to consider it. If the recruiting force identifies adverse information as a result of the vetting process, this should be shared with the current force for consideration and potential action. |
| December 2024 |
| 12 | Right to privacy | With immediate effect, police forces should convey to all existing and prospective officers and staff that they must be held to a higher standard of behaviour and accountability than members of the public, and that therefore their right to privacy can be fettered in certain circumstances. These circumstances include, but are not limited to: recruitment, vetting, aftercare, transfer, promotion, role change, returning to policing and maintaining standards. This is to ensure that members of the police are fully aware and accountable for the unique powers entrusted to them and the standards of professional behaviour they swear to uphold. Updated fair processing notices concerning changes to processing of personal data should be provided prior to any new processing taking place, including data-sharing. | Immediate effect | |
| 13 | Aftercare | By December 2024, the College of Policing, in collaboration with all force vetting units, should develop a stronger approach to force vetting aftercare in order to monitor an individual effectively throughout their career with the police and be aware of any change in circumstances as soon as possible to ensure that potential risks/red flags are identified and assessed. In particular, that approach should include the following: - Mandatory, randomised re-vetting should be introduced, as an additional layer to standardised vetting periods, for police officers and staff, akin to randomised drug-testing. - In addition to police officers and staff being required to declare any material changes in their circumstances within a managed system, such as a human resources system, supervisors, or anyone with concerns relating to behaviour, welfare or performance, should report them to Professional Standards Departments at any point. - Professional Standards Departments should systematically exchange relevant and necessary information with vetting and counter-corruption units to consider information disclosed by any individual, and any action necessary. |
| December 2024 |
| 14 | Positive culture and elimination of misconduct or criminality often excused as ‘banter’ | With immediate effect, every police force should commit publicly to being an antisexist, anti-misogynistic, anti-racist organisation in order to address, understand and eradicate sexism, racism and misogyny, contributing to a wider positive culture to remove all forms of discrimination from the profession. This includes properly addressing – and taking steps to root out – so-called ‘banter’ that often veils or excuses malign or toxic behaviour in police ranks. | Immediate effect | |
| 15 | Reporting by police officers and staff of harassment, sexual offences and inappropriate behaviour committed by fellow officers | With immediate effect, all police forces should take action to understand and confront the barriers that police officers and staff face when reporting sexual offences committed by a person that they work with or in the workplace. This is in order to encourage victims, who are also police officers or police staff, to come forward and submit complaints, as well as to identify and remove those who are not fit for service. To do this, forces should: - ensure, when a complaint is made, that sufficient and appropriate resources are dedicated to supporting the complainant, including maintaining anonymity where needed or requested, and ensuring an investigation is carried out as appropriate; - address cultural barriers to reporting, such as re-victimising complainants by labelling or treating them as ‘troublemakers’; and - provide dedicated reporting processes for women in police forces who experience inappropriate behaviour related to their gender. |
| Immediate effect |
| 16 | Recruitment and retention of women in police forces | By September 2024, the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs’ Council should review and examine the conditions of female officers and staff in order to encourage more women to join the police and progress in policing careers. To ensure success, this should include a review of: a. working conditions that do not address the realities of modern working lives, including families where both parents are officers and share caring responsibilities; b. processes, training and refreshers for officers returning from parental leave; and c. kit, equipment and facilities designed largely by and for men. | September 2024 |