20 key women’s organisations, working on the frontline to combat violence against women and girls, have joined to support Centre for Women's Justice's (CWJ) request to the Home Secretary that she re-consider the scope and approach of her announced public inquiry in response to the conviction of Wayne Couzens.
Last week, on 15 October, CWJ wrote to the Home Secretary setting out detailed reasons why she should take urgent action to tackle the wider issues arising following Couzens' conviction and place the inquiry on a statutory footing. In particular, CWJ suggested that the proposed approach would not be sufficient to meet her stated intentions. A response from the Home Secretary is expected by Friday 29th October.
Actions requested in the letter included:
Take immediate steps to implement the recent HMICFRS recommendations on the police response to violence against women and girls across all forces
Put the inquiry on a statutory footing
Expand the scope of the inquiry so it does not cover Couzens alone, in particular as this will likely miss significant issues concerning those subject to multiple oppressions including ethnicity and disability
Confirm a panel will be appointed for the inquiry and that it will comprise at least one expert in male violence against women and girls.
Since then, CWJ have been in contact with women's groups and campaigns which are at the frontline of trying to address male violence against women and girls, including where that abuse has been perpetrated by police officers.
We are delighted to share that the following groups have outlined that they support our proposals:
We have written to the Home Secretary setting out that these groups support our calls. We hope that she will engage with the requests in good faith, recognising the expertise of those calling for these steps.