Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick issued a fresh apology to the family and friends of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry (Victoria Jones/PA)
(Picture: PA Wire)It is an act that should sicken us all. Pc Deniz Jaffer and Pc Jamie Lewis had been assigned to guard the scene overnight in Wembley after Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman were found dead. Instead, they took pictures of the bodies of the two murdered sisters and shared them on WhatsApp. They now face jail time.
This appalling incident is only the latest in a string of cases that put paid to any conceivable “one bad apple” defence. There is a culture problem at the Metropolitan Police and its commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick, must eradicate it and fast.
We welcome the Met’s announcement today of an action plan which sets out how it plans to tackle violence against women and girls in London. The murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa this year have highlighted the daily threat faced by women in the capital.
Its proposals include stepping up police activity to prevent night-time violence, improving processes and victim care across the criminal justice system and intensifying work to tackle sexual misconduct and domestic violence by officers and staff.
The Met knows it must also work tirelessly to regain the trust of women. Far too often, investigations have revealed police officers engaging in behaviour that would be wholly unacceptable in any workplace — let alone one that exists to protect and serve Londoners.
This is a force-wide issue but we need leadership from the very top. Dame Cressida’s two-year extension as commissioner gives her the space to make the radical changes that are clearly required. She must use it.
