‘Conviction of former officer will have affected trust in the police’

Former police officer Aaron John Cusack was found guilty of perverting the course of justice last week after putting pressure on a vulnerable woman to withdraw a complaint of rape against another party in order not to expose his own relationship with her.

In the wake of the case Head of Law Enforcement Chief Officer Ruari Hardy said the conduct of one officer did not reflect the commitment and dedication of the police.

Poppy Murray, who started the ‘Be Lads’ campaign, to advise men on how to make women feel safe when walking alone, believed it was a good sign that the police had been so proactive in dealing with the offence after it came to light.

‘I hope that the sentence reflects the seriousness of what’s happened because this has undoubtedly fractured trust and confidence in the police, which was already pretty strained,’ she said.

Miss Murray spoke at a ‘HeForShe’ conference in April that was attended by many senior police officers, including Deputy Chief Officer Ian Scholes from Guernsey.

She is currently working with Guernsey Police and forces across the UK, including the Met, West Mercia, and Surrey to help forces rebuild public trust and confidence and improve police culture.

She said that Deputy Chief Officer Scholes had actively been looking to engage with that campaign to try and improve the culture of Guernsey Police.

The conference came soon after the damning report by Baroness Casey into sexism and racism in the Met.

‘It was interesting to hear every other police force that presented saying “that could have been about the culture in our force”,’ said Miss Murray.

‘I think if there is an issue in Guernsey, it’s not unique to Guernsey.

‘I think it’s a historic culture that has allowed this kind of environment and because the police is heavily male dominated. But I think that culture can be changed more quickly than people think.’

Miss Murray began campaigning following the death of Sarah Everard who was killed in London while walking home in London in 2021.

‘I’ve said many times that there’s a misconception that sexual assault crimes don’t happen in Guernsey, that we’re all safe and everything’s great here, and it’s just it’s not the case.

‘If you talk to women, every one of them will have a story about something that’s happened.’

However, she said that personally she did have trust and faith in the police.

‘It’s a consequence that the police have been let down by Cusack just as much as the public have been let down, perhaps even more so.

‘I just hope that things improve and that trust and confidence can be rebuilt.’