by Jess Phillips – I remember well the day that David Carrick was sentenced. He is one of the nation’s most prolific rapists and he was a serving officer at my place of work. I went that day, to the police officers who guard the entrance to the chamber of the House of Commons. I asked if they were OK. They weren’t – they were dismayed, disgusted and apologetic, as if it had been their fault. This is what abusers do. They make everyone else feel blame and shame.
The reason Labour have called again and again for the strengthening of disciplinary and vetting practices in forces across the country isn’t to land a blow on a slow-moving home secretary more interested in posturing about culture wars than caring about policing. It’s because, without confidence and consent in policing, decent officers simply cannot do their jobs. That’s what drives our desire to dispel bad coppers.