Opinion

Editorial: Confidence in policing vital

IT is hard to overstate the damage done to trust in policing by the shocking case of serial rapist David Carrick.

The Metropolitan Police officer is currently awaiting sentencing for dozens of rape and sexual offences against 12 women spanning a period of almost two decades.

The 48-year-old "used the fact he was a police officer to control and coerce his victims", the London force has said.

However, it admitted that it missed opportunities to stop Carrick, despite him coming to the attention of police over nine incidents, including rape and domestic violence allegations, between 2000 and 2021.

His crimes represent an appalling abuse of power as well as a devastating breakdown in vetting and misconduct procedures.

The case will now be examined as part of an independent inquiry set up to following the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard by Met officer Wayne Couzens in 2021.

All forces have also been told to check all of their serving officers and staff against police databases to "root out anybody who shouldn't be serving".

The Metropolitan Police has said more than 1,600 cases of alleged sexual offences or domestic violence involving over 1,000 officers and other staff are being checked from the last 10 years to make sure the right decisions were made.

The PSNI has said it sacked nine officers last year for misconduct related to sexual or domestic abuse.

There are also 74 ongoing cases, with 32 officers suspended on suspicion of sexual misconduct, the BBC reported.

As part of an action plan on tackling violence against women and girls launched last year, chief constable Simon Byrne committed to improving the service's own culture and pledged effective action against anyone taking advantage of their trusted position in society.

Supt Claire McGuigan, of the PSNI professional standards department, admitted yesterday to being alarmed by the figures but said it any abusers were being dealt with robustly.

However, there is concern that officers are only vetted once every 10 years after being checked during their recruitment process.

Northern Ireland has one the highest rates of femicide in western Europe and police figures show alarming levels of domestic abuse.

At a time when the issue of violence against women and girls has risen up the political agenda, it would be catastrophic if cases such as David Carrick made victims hesitant about coming forward to police.

All forces must demonstrate by their actions that wrongdoing within their ranks will never be tolerated if confidence in policing is not to be further eroded.