British police completely discredited?
Former police officer Wayne Couzens has been convicted of kidnapping, raping and murdering 33-year-old Sarah Everard and sentenced to life in prison without parole. The investigation of the crime and its institutional background is far from over, the media admonish.
Many questions for the police
Convicting the killer is not enough, The Times believes:
“A thorough review of the many disturbing questions raised by the case is needed. How did Wayne Couzens come to be hired by the Metropolitan Police three years after he was accused of indecent exposure? Why did he still have the warrant card and the handcuffs he used to deceive Everard three days after two further allegations of indecent exposure had been made against him? Why was a man so well known among his colleagues for his penchant for violent pornography that they nicknamed him 'the rapist' able to continue his policing career? ... At least 15 women have been killed by British police officers in the past 12 years, most in incidents of domestic violence.”
Combat institutional misogyny
The case once again calls into question the trust placed in the police as an institution and its treatment of women, says The Guardian:
“The fact that Couzens staged a false arrest using his warrant card and handcuffs have deepened the case for a real and urgent reckoning by the institution. So far, there is no sign that the Metropolitan police understand the profound crisis of faith that it faces. ... Despite the undoubted strides made in tackling sexual violence and domestic abuse, it is time to face up to institutional misogyny.”