UK inspectorate says police acted 'appropriately' at Sarah Everard vigil

A British inspectorate has found that the Metropolitan Police acted “appropriately” at the vigil held in memory of Sarah Everard on March 13. The vigil garnered a lot of criticism in the United Kingdom after police used violent measures to arrest women and other attendees at the event, citing COVID-19 as a concern. However, a report from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) has found that the police acted appropriately and “did their best to peacefully disperse the crowd”. 

The Metropolitan police came under fire after videos and images of cops mishandling mourners and demonstrators went viral on social media platforms. Some videos showed the police forcibly arresting women protesters at the vigil, leading to an outpouring of criticism from across the political spectrum, including from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who said he was “deeply concerned” by the footage. 

'Police response was calm and professional'

The latest report says that the Metropolitan police was justified in adopting the view that the risks of COVID-19 transmission at the vigil were too great to ignore. The report stated that police officers remained “calm and professional” when subjected to abuse by protesters and did not act “inappropriately” or in a “heavy-handed manner”. HMICFRS analyzed a range of documents to reach the conclusion, including body-cam footage and other media. 

The report, however, stated that there was “insufficient communication” between police commanders about the situation on the ground. The inspectorate suggested that a more conciliatory response from the Metropolitan police department may have served better given the reduced public confidence after the vigil. 

“Condemnation of the Met’s actions within mere hours of the vigil – including from people in positions of responsibility – was unwarranted, showed a lack of respect for public servants facing a complex situation, and undermined public confidence in policing based on very limited evidence. After reviewing a huge body of evidence – rather than a snapshot on social media – we found that there are some things the Met could have done better, but we saw nothing to suggest police officers acted in anything but a measured and proportionate way in challenging circumstances,” Matt Parr, who led the inspection team, said on Tuesday.

What happened with Sarah Everard?

Earlier this month, 33-year-old Sarah Everard went missing while walking through the Clapham neighborhood in South London. The police launched a county-wide search operation following which the young marketing executive’s dead body was found. Two people, including a police officer, were arrested in connection with the case. The murder sparked outrage across the country, prompting people to take to the streets to mourn Sarah’s death. 

(Image Credit: AP)