Centre for Women’s Justice (CWJ) have written to the Home Secretary requesting that she reconsiders the basis and scope of the inquiry she announced at the Conservative Party conference into “issues raised by the conviction of Wayne Couzens” and the “unimaginable failings in policing”.
CWJ have invited her to:
1) Commit to taking immediate steps to address the problem of police treatment of women, in particular to act upon the recommendations in the report of 17 September 2021 from HM Chief Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (“HMICFRS”) for all police forces.
2) Exercise her power under Section 1 of the Inquiries Act 2005 (“the 2005 Act”) and confirm that this will be an inquiry held under the 2005 Act. This is to ensure that the inquiry has powers to compel witnesses to attend and to obtain all relevant evidence.
3) Expand the scope of the inquiry to ensure it is broader than indicated in her initial announcement. In particular, looking at the wider problem of police perpetrated abuse and the impact on different victims including those with intersecting issues of race and disability.
4) Confirm that the Inquiry will be undertaken by a Panel, and that the Panel to be appointed will include at least one person with established expertise in the area of violence against women and girls.
CWJ are inviting other organisations working on these issues that share our concerns to express their support.
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Holding the state to account for violence against women and girls