Johnson vows to do ‘everything we can’ to make streets safe for women

Boris Johnson has said the Government is committed to doing “everything we can” to make the streets safe for women in the wake of the killing of Sarah Everard.

Following a meeting of the Government’s Crime and Justice Taskforce chaired by the Prime Minister, Downing Street said it was taking a series of “immediate steps” to improve security.

They include a doubling of the Safer Streets fund – which provides neighbourhood measures such as better lighting and CCTV – to £45 million.

At the same time it said ministers were committed to working with police forces and with police and crime commissioners to ensure the measures were more focussed on preventing sexual violence.

“The horrific case of Sarah Everard has unleashed a wave of feeling about women not feeling safe at night. We must do everything we can to ensure our streets are safe,” he said.

“Ultimately, we must drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to better protect and defend them.”

The meeting took place as demonstrators again took to the streets of central London to protest at the policing of a vigil for Ms Everard on Saturday.

Earlier the Prime Minister backed Metropolitan Police chief Dame Cressida Dick following calls for her resignation in the wake of the weekend’s events on Clapham Common where crowds gathered to remember the 33-year-old marketing executive.

Serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, has been charged with her kidnapping and murder.

Mr Johnson acknowledged that the scenes – when a number of women were arrested – had been “distressing” but said the police had a “very, very difficult job” to do.

He said that Sir Thomas Winsor, chief inspector of constabulary, would be carrying out a review into the way the event was policed.

“I think people have got to have confidence in the police and Tom’s going to look at that,” he said.

“Too many of us have walked home from school or work alone, only to hear footsteps uncomfortably close behind us,” she said.

“Too many of us have pretended to be on the phone to a friend to scare someone off.

“Too many of us have clutched our keys in our fist in case we need to defend ourselves and that is not OK.”

She said footage of the Clapham Common event – where four protestors – were arrested had been  “upsetting”.

However she defended restrictions on protests put in place to curb the spread of coronavirus, urging people not to participate in large gatherings while they remained in force.

“The right to protest is the cornerstone of our democracy, but the Government’s duty remains to prevent more lives being lost during this pandemic,” she said.

An organiser from the group said on Monday she did not want Dame Cressida to resign, but asked for the police chief to meet the group.

Anna Birley told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “We are a movement of women seeking to support and empower other women, and as one of the most senior women in British policing history, we do not want to add to the pile-on.”

Hundreds of women have left floral tributes in the park near to the route where Ms Everard, who went missing while walking home from a friend’s flat on March 3, walked.

Throughout Monday, mourners arrived from across the capital to leave flowers and cards on the bandstand at Clapham Common.