A police boss has come under fire for saying women need to be ‘streetwise’ and understand the process of being arrested.
Conservative North Yorkshire commissioner Philip Allott made the remarks after Wayne Couzens was sentenced to die in prison for kidnapping, raping and murdering Sarah Everard.
The married father-of-two was working for the Met Police when he staged a fake arrest to lure Sarah to her death.
Allott, who has since retracted his remarks, said Sarah should ‘never have submitted’ to the arrest.
He told BBC Radio: ‘So women, first of all, need to be streetwise about when they can be arrested and when they can’t be arrested. She should never have been arrested and submitted to that.
‘Perhaps women need to consider in terms of the legal process, to just learn a bit about that legal process.’
Mr Allott has since apologised after his comments sparked anger online, with some accusing him of victim blaming.
The Everyday Sexism account said Allott was ‘openly blaming Sarah Everard for what happened to her’, while journalist Eva Wiseman said she was so shocked at the remarks, she didn’t think they were real at first.
During a two-day sentencing hearing this week, it emerged Couzens tricked Sarah by falsely arresting her for a breach of coronavirus guidelines.
The court heard how he spent weeks hatching plan to kidnap and rape a lone woman.
On March 3, in the height of the third national lockdown, he approached Sarah as she walked home from a friend’s flat in Clapham, showing her his warrant card before putting her in handcuffs and forcing her into his hire car.
In response to Allott’s comments, many people said they would not have challenged an officer if approached.
Lucy Arnold, from campaign group Reclaim the Streets, said: ‘I think frankly that was a horrifically offensive thing to say.
‘Does anyone really feel like they can stand up to a police officer?
‘I am very confident I know my rights, I know the law, but no I wouldn’t feel confident at all.’
Legal commentator David Allen Green said no lawyer would have advised Sarah ‘to resist arrest by a police officer with a warrant card’.
Activist and director of the British campaign group Big Brother Watch Silkie Carlo wrote: ‘I know my rights! If I was arrested by a police officer with a badge & handcuffs during lockdown, I would have no choice.
‘[MP for Birmingham Yardley] Jess Phillips said the same this morning. It could have been any of us. She stood no chance. How dare you say she ‘submitted’. Please, for our safety, resign.’
Addressing the backlash, Allott said on Twitter: ‘I would like to wholeheartedly apologise for my comments on BBC Radio York earlier today, which I realise have been insensitive and wish to retract them in full.’
In a now-deleted tweet, he also said: ‘Nobody is blaming the victim.
‘What I am saying is that we need to inform women far better of their rights, something I intend to action here in North Yorkshire ASAP.’
It comes as the Metropolitan Police faces criticism over its safety advice to women, saying they should ‘wave down a bus’ if they don’t trust a police officer who has approached them.
Government ministers and Scotland Yard were accused of being tone-deaf after issuing guidance on what action the public should take if they fear an officer is not acting legitimately.
Other advice – including shouting to a passer-by, running to a house, knocking on a door, or calling 999 – was also met with heavy criticism, with one MP branding it ‘derisory’.
Labour’s Bell Ribeiro-Addy said on Twitter: ‘We want to know what the Met are doing to address the deeply rooted problems with violence against women within the force.
‘This completely derisory advice shows they’re still not taking it seriously.
‘And they wonder why trust is at an all-time low?’
The Met stressed the advice was given for specific, and rare, scenarios people might find themselves in.
The force said: ‘It is unusual for a single plain clothes police officer to engage with anyone in London. If that does happen, and it may do for various reasons, in instances where the officer is seeking to arrest you, you should then expect to see other officers arrive shortly afterwards.
‘However, if that doesn’t happen and you do find yourself in an interaction with a sole police officer and you are on your own, it is entirely reasonable for you to seek further reassurance of that officer’s identity and intentions.
‘If after all of that you feel in real and imminent danger and you do not believe the officer is who they say they are, for whatever reason, then I would say you must seek assistance – shouting out to a passer-by, running into a house, knocking on a door, waving a bus down or, if you are in the position to do so, calling 999.’
Prime Minister Boris Johnson intervened on the issue today, saying people ‘can trust the police’.
But he admitted ‘there is a problem’ with the way cases of rape and violence against women are handled.
He said ministers were examining how the criminal justice system could be sped up for complaints of sexual violence, as well as speaking of the need to recruit more female officers.
He said: ‘I do believe in the police. I do think that we can trust the police. And I think the police do a wonderful, wonderful job.
‘But there is a problem. And there is a problem in the way we handle rape, domestic violence, sexual violence and the way we handle the complaints of women and girls. And it’s overwhelmingly women and girls.’
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