A damning independent inquiry has concluded that sexually motivated crimes against women in public spaces are not being treated with the same urgency as other high-priority crimes by police forces across the UK.
Systemic Failures and Unmet Promises
Publishing the first report from the second part of her inquiry on Tuesday 2 December 2025, Chair Lady Elish Angiolini, the former Solicitor General for Scotland, delivered a stark assessment. She stated that despite violence against women and girls being labelled a "national threat" in official policing requirements, the reality on the ground is a "critical failure".
Lady Angiolini revealed that her previous key recommendation—to bar individuals with convictions or cautions for sexual offences from joining the police—has still not been implemented. Furthermore, she found that 26% of police forces have failed to implement basic policies for investigating sexual offences, including crimes like indecent exposure.
"There is no better time to act than now. I want leaders to, quite simply, get a move on. There are lives at stake," Lady Angiolini said, criticising the gap between rhetoric and action. "Prevention in this space remains just words. Until this disparity is addressed, violence against women and girls cannot credibly be called a 'national priority'."
Lives Lived in Fear and a Lack of Data
The inquiry highlighted a profound impact on women's daily lives. Lady Angiolini noted that while there is greater spotlight on women's safety, many women do not feel safer. "Women change their travel plans, their routines, and their lives out of fears for their safety in public, while far too many perpetrators continue to roam freely," she said.
This sentiment was backed by data from the inquiry's own public survey, which found that 76% of women aged 18 to 24 reported feeling unsafe in public because of men's actions. The report also identified a severe lack of consistent data on sexually motivated crimes in public spaces, hampering effective prevention and response.
A Call for a Whole-Society Response
Lady Angiolini stressed that these crimes are a whole-society issue requiring a coordinated response from government, police, and other agencies. She argued for recognising such violence as both a criminal and a public health matter, stating these crimes are "not inevitable".
"There is not one silver bullet," the report concluded, calling instead for long-term commitment and cross-party agreement. Key recommendations from the 13 proposed include:
- A national focus on better data collection and sharing.
- Centrally managed, consistent public messaging on the issues.
- An information and intervention programme for men and boys, coordinated across government departments, to foster positive masculinity.
- Mandating police forces to follow specific procedures for investigating crimes against women and girls.
The inquiry was established following the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by off-duty Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens in March 2021. The first part of the inquiry, published in February 2024, found Couzens should never have been a police officer and called for a "radical overhaul" of recruitment.
In a statement, Sarah Everard's family said the new report "shows how much work there is to do" and that it speaks for all victims and those at risk. "We stand with them in recognising the urgent need for positive change and in expectation of a better future," they said.
The next report will investigate misogynistic and predatory attitudes within police culture, while a separate third part will examine the case of another convicted officer, David Carrick.
