Few news stories have the power to harrow a nation quite like the case of Sarah Everard, a young woman who was murdered by a police officer called Wayne Couzens she thought was arresting her. It highlighted the dangers women face in the UK — both in a general sense and from authority figures like the police. However, Police Scotland has taken action, with a number of initiatives carried out over the last year.
A report studying these policies, which was published ahead of an upcoming meeting on 19 January 2022, found that they’ve largely proven successful. However, some changes still need to take place.
Initiatives to protect women
Scotland had previously launched a campaign called That Guy in October 2021, which encouraged men to take more responsibility for their behavior toward women by challenging violence against women when they see it. It contained an emotive video that was distributed across social media channels.Â
The Scottish government has also carried out the Equally Safe Strategy (which focused on preventing violence). Meanwhile, the National Police Chiefs’ Council carried out the Strategy to Tackle Violence Against Women and Girls, which outlined a framework to identify individuals who pose the most risk of committing violence.
There’s also been a new verification process for police officers so that women can confirm a police officer’s identity and the interaction can be put on a loudspeaker to ensure they’re safe. This policy has been seen as a success (although some are concerned it puts the burden of responsibility on women).
Looking to the future
The report has found that these policies have had a positive impact overall, with the videos from the That Guy campaign being shared extensively.Â
However, figures for crime against women in 2021 are a cause for concern. Sexual crimes rose 13.4% between the start of 2021 and the same period in 2022 — although the good news is that detections and reported crimes also rose.
Overall, the conclusion is that we’re going in the right direction, but there’s still work to do. Besides, regardless of what Police Scotland and the UK government do, this is a multi-faceted problem, so partnerships with charities, education, and other groups will be needed to tackle the problem fully.
