March 2025 marks four years since the murder of Sarah Everard, a tragedy that ignited national outrage and intensified scrutiny over police conduct and women’s safety. On 3 March 2021, Everard, a 33-year-old marketing executive, was abducted, raped, and murdered by Wayne Couzens, a serving Metropolitan Police officer who abused his position of power to carry out his crime.
London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, acknowledged the lasting impact of the case, “Sarah’s murder has significantly damaged the trust and confidence women and girls have in the police”. This erosion of trust has only deepened in the years following Everard’s death, as further revelations of misconduct within the Met have emerged.
At the time, the response from police leadership faced sharp criticism. Then-Met Commissioner, Cressida Dick, was accused of downplaying the systemic failures within the force and was ultimately forced out of her job. Subsequent investigations and reports, such as the Baroness Casey revealed a persistent culture of institutional racism, sexism and homophobia inside the Metropolitan police.
In the wake of Everard’s murder, public demonstrations, including the vigil at Clapham Common, highlighted the widespread anger and fear among women. Yet, four years on, campaigners argue that not enough has changed to address the root causes of male violence towards women or to rebuild public confidence in the police. The National Police Chief’s Council have termed the scale of violence against women and girls an ‘epidemic’, with 3,000 offences recorded each day, and 1 in 12 women victims each year.
While reforms have been promised, many believe the rate of change remains too low. Everard was championed on social media by women for “doing all the right things” by dressing in bright colours and looking into CCTV cameras to be able to be identified by policy; however, Everard’s fate warns us of the ever-present danger women feel. For women across the country, Everard’s murder remains a painful reminder of the threats they face and the institutions that have failed to protect them.
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