Dear StopWatchers,
Another busy month has seen StopWatch:
Make the news, with coverage of the shocking racial disparities in dog deployments featured in outlets Black Current News and The Voice
Produce a new guide on how to safely be an active bystander during a stop and search, the first of its kind
Celebrate our 15-year anniversary (thanks to law firm DLA Piper for hosting)
Five years on from the kidnap, rape, and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer, the head of the Metropolitan police told BBC News that he could see why women don’t trust the police (03 Mar). Sir Mark Rowley was keen to reassure girls and women that the force is ‘doing everything possible to avoid people who are a risk… joining the organisation or staying in this organisation’, claiming that the Met is ‘making progress’ on the issue of women’s safety.
It’s not enough for Dame Louise Casey though.
BBC Radio 4 Today@BBCr4today
"Do I think it's enough? ... No I don't." @Emmabarnett asks Dame Louise Casey, who led a report into the Metropolitan Police, if she agrees with the commissioner that progress has been made after the murder of Sarah Everard.
9:43 AM · Mar 5, 2026 · 6.13K Views
12 Replies · 7 Reposts · 7 Likes
And why would it be when, as Everyday Sexism project founder Laura Bates pointed out, violence against women and girls accounts for ‘20 per cent of all police-recorded crime in England and Wales, yet it still doesn’t feel like a priority’ (i News, 04 Mar)?
Reflecting on the so-called progress since Everard’s death, one attendee to this year’s vigil also cast doubt on Sir Rowley’s assertions:
“Despite all the statements about change within the police and within society, ultimately, women are still going to the police and getting disbelieved or having their abuse minimised,” said Rebecca Goshawk, who attended on behalf of a refuge charity called Solace. “A lot of people still don’t want to go to the police; there’s certainly not been the step change we’d hope to see.”
- New Statesman (£wall, 04 Mar)
And while many women don’t want to go to the police, the government keeps insisting that the police will keep coming to them, with the announcement of undercover cops to 9 more forces in order to ‘disrupt predatory behaviour and prevent violence against women and girls (Home Office, 13 Mar).
But the question remains: To whom does this appeal, when a force like the Met has made no progress on adding officers’ to its DNA and fingerprint databases from 18 months ago, when the London Standard first reported that around half of officer personnel’s details could be missing (BBC News, 02 Mar)?
Or when high-profile scandals such as the one featuring an officer who was the face of the Met’s current recruitment drive surface (LBC, 13 Mar)?
Samson Akinnawo was part of the Met’s Specialist Operations unit at the time he is alleged to have stalked and harassed a woman by the name of Melieka Daley (summer 2024). The force has confirmed that he is currently suspended from duty.
It is obvious to us that if forces are – to borrow a word – even remotely ‘vigilant’ about the quality of hired officers, then the headcount is going to fall, and this may not be a bad thing if it returns a better standard of policing that makes women and girls feel safer. Yet, this connection remains impervious to many people who ought to know better, including shadow home secretary Chris Philp, who tweeted in response to the story (with no shred of irony) that ‘Standards should never be dropped in pursuit of recruitment targets’.
Chris Philp MP@CPhilpOfficial
Standards should never be dropped in pursuit of recruitment targets
LBC @LBC
Police officer who was face of recruitment campaign for Met charged with stalking and harassing woman https://t.co/aLz27dLD6v
3:58 PM · Mar 14, 2026 · 9.32K Views
20 Replies · 17 Reposts · 169 Likes
So do we believe there will be satisfactory progress on the issue of women and girls’ safety 5 years from now? Sadly, it seems more likely that such boneheaded ignorance of the mess we’re in from the same politicians and police chiefs who made it happen the first time will only guarantee more scandals in future.
From vigils to Project Vigilant, the decision making of our political class and police chiefs continues to make a mockery of an all-too common tragedy.
* Remember: Philp was policing minister for a good 18 or so months in the run up to the July 2024 general election, when he boasted about meeting recruitment targets, thanks to a staffing grant.
Three West Mercia police officers are being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after Meade was shot dead at his home on Christmas Eve following a 5-hour stand-off (BBC News, 27 Mar).
Meade was hit in the chest by a single bullet, after officers were called to the address to reports of a concern for his welfare. The police watchdog said officers had tried to negotiate with him, and had used distraction devices and at least one Taser before the fatal shot was fired. Officers then attempted first aid, but Meade died at the scene.
The IOPC’s decision to investigate the officers’ conduct comes after consultation with specialist firearms experts. The police watchdog said it would also examine if Meade’s mental health was considered and if his race had influenced police actions. Meade’s parents have repeatedly called for answers following their son’s death and said their lives had been “destroyed”.
Met raid Quakers for the second time in 12 months: Met police officers raided Westminster Quaker Meeting House and arrested a number of young nonviolent activists from Take Back Power on the grounds that they were conspiring to commit a criminal act (Quakers, 05 Mar).
Oliver Robertson, head of witness and worship for Quakers in Britain, said:
“Whilst we take the planning of criminal acts very seriously, we believe that this incident is a deliberate targeting of committed young people who want to make our country a more equitable place. This raid is part of a systematic stifling of dissent.”
Forces do nothing to address hundreds of racism complaints against their officers: Two self-confessed institutionally racist forces (Police Scotland and Avon and Somerset constabulary) have sacked a grand total of zero officers from 360 race-related complaints made over a two-year period.
The data shows that as of July 2025 no officers had been sacked over 194 complaints made to Police Scotland and 166 made to Avon and Somerset, with most complaints having been dismissed (Hyphen, 11 Mar).
Andy George, president of the National Black Police Association, said: “When police forces acknowledge institutional racism, the public quite rightly expect to see meaningful change in how complaints are handled and how officers are held to account.
“The fact that significant numbers of race-related complaints can be made without clear outcomes risks reinforcing the perception that the system is not working for the communities it is meant to serve.”
Human rights organisations raise alarm over government’s plans for policing: How we effectively hold the police to account following wrongdoing is under threat, according to 11 human rights groups and organisations representing victims of misuse of police powers who have called on home secretary Shabana Mahmood to reconsider plans that will weaken the public’s ability to scrutinise the actions of the police in an open letter.
INQUEST director Deborah Coles said: “The rule of law must apply to police officers as it does to the rest of us. Changing the law to please the police lobby – at the expense of bereaved people and victims – will simply advance the culture of impunity.” (INQUEST, 12 Mar)
PC deceived and groomed TV presenter into sex: A TV presenter has told a disciplinary panel that a former constable – whom she first met when he was on duty as a plain‑clothes officer – abused his position to “groom and manipulate” her into a sexual relationship. Jackie Adedeji alleged that Ian Steel used her “to fulfil his racialised sexual fantasy” after lying to her about his identity. Steel did not attend the hearing but has admitted gross misconduct, although he denied some of the allegations (BBC News, 16 Mar).
Ex-inspector abused young men during strip-searches: Gerald Hutchings, a former police inspector with Hampshire police, is accused of making young men remove their clothes before subjecting them to sexual assaults. Bristol crown court heard 8 complainants allege they were abused by Hutchings at police stations in the area over an 8-year period. The jury were told that Hutchings had admitted several counts of misconduct in public office relating to making the complainants strip but denied any sexual touching (LBC, 16 Mar).
Pesky human rights law gets in the way of policing protests, Met chief complains: Met commissioner Sir Mark Rowley says ‘it’s time for parliament to redraw the line’ as he admitted it has become increasingly tough for police to get the balance right. “There will always be a bit of grey at the margins of legislation,” the Met boss told LBC, “but the current public order legislation has far, far too much grey” (17 Mar).
Rowley’s comments come as Netpol release their second annual “State of Protest” report (25 Mar). How Repression Became Routine documents how protests are increasingly policed as threats rather than fundamental examples of democratic participation and expression. It concludes that new and overlapping laws, combined with a growing tendency to treat protest as a security issue, have normalised surveillance, confrontational policing, and punishment, with the impacts concentrated on marginalised groups.
And, as if to prove the point, the Met also announced that they will resume arresting protesters for supporting Palestine Action, despite a high court judgment in February ruling the government’s ban of the group under anti-terror legislation unlawful. The ban remains in place whilst the Home Office appeals the decision (BBC News, 26 Mar).
Police watchdog to investigate homophobia around Ed Cornes’s death: The IOPC has confirmed it has launched an investigation into multiple complaints, including alleged failures in the original inquiry, the handling of the inquest, and communication with Ed Cornes’s family. Two men present at the time were arrested in connection with the student’s death, but faced no charges after the Met police deemed it non-suspicious.
The case has drawn further scrutiny following claims officers failed to pursue key lines of inquiry and lost potential evidence, including CCTV and forensic samples, as per The Times. Cornes’ family have also alleged homophobic attitudes during the investigation and inquest, including offensive characterisations made about the teenager. His family say they hope the investigation will finally provide answers and accountability, amid ongoing concerns about how LGBTQ+ victims are treated by police (Pink News, 24 Mar).
Off-duty police special constable insults Al Jazeera journalist in Golders Green clash: The confrontation happened amid coverage of a hate crime arson that destroyed 4 Hatzola ambulances in a synagogue car park. Special constable David Soffer was at the front of a mob that surrounded the film crew on Monday, shouting “go home”. Footage shows Soffer directly approaching one of the Al Jazeera journalists, who is Palestinian, calling him a “dog” and a “donkey” in Arabic. He now faces the possibility of disciplinary action – and has already deleted the police role from his LinkedIn account (Declassified UK, 26 Mar).
Fraud at the Fed: The head of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) has been suspended after being arrested on suspicion of fraud by abuse of position. Chief executive Mukund Krishna from Surrey, a 51-year-old man from Wales and a 55-year-old man from Bristol were all detained by City of London Police’s Domestic Corruption Unit following a “significant” investigation undertaken over the last year.
Channel 4 News@Channel4News
Three men linked to the Police Federation have been arrested on suspicion of fraud by abuse of position - after a raid on the organisation's headquarters in Surrey.
1:06 PM · Mar 4, 2026 · 7.52K Views
7 Replies · 48 Reposts · 82 Likes
Meanwhile, in the West Mercia branch of the PFEW, former federation secretary Jamie Harrison was found guilty of 15 counts of fraud by abuse of position and sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison at Worcester Crown Court (BBC News, 25 Mar).
In response to scandals engulfing the PFEW, former police inspector Jonathan Hinder and 10 other MPs have written an open letter to home secretary Shabana Mahmood asking her to consider giving police officers the freedom to form an alternative to the Police Federation. There will be a debate in parliament on the issue on Wednesday 15 April.
Articles | Institute of Race Relations
StopWatch is a volunteer led organisation that relies on the generosity of trusts and grant funders to operate. We DO NOT accept funding from the government or police as we believe this would compromise our ability to critically challenge.
We’d appreciate any one-off or regular donations to help support our work. You can click on our Donate button below to go through to our donation page.
Stay safe,
StopWatch.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.