There are many questions and some quite astonishing proposals following the life sentence given to the evil murderer of Sarah Everard.
The Met Police said any woman who feels threatened should try to flag down a bus.
There were the unbelievable remarks, of the Tory Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, that women need to get a bit more streetwise if they wish to avoid being kidnapped, raped and murdered.
I’ve also seen a suggestion that the police only be allowed to arrest in pairs. Not sure how that could work numberswise, at a time when the PM has failed to replace even half the 21,000 officers the Tories cut.
I thought I’d heard it all but now our Home Secretary Priti Patel, the woman responsible for keeping the streets safe, employing enough police and ensuring we can trust them, has suggested that the answer is a phone tracking system.
All any law-abiding woman will be required to do is report her plans for the evening.
She can then be monitored, in the same way tagged criminals are tracked, and if she fails to reach her destination an alert will be raised.
That wouldn’t have done much for poor Sarah Everard.
Even worse, this whole system is designed to rely on a triple 8 phone number.
After the fiasco of the NHS App or the experiences of those trying to contact the police on 101, this sounds like yet another dud in the making.
It also has a rather sinister element, it subtlety shifts responsibility to the victim.
She becomes responsible for her safety, rather than the Home Secretary having to answer awkward questions.
I’m not sure our daughters and granddaughters should be forced into a battery of elaborate precautions before they can enjoy a night out.
I want to know why are there so few police?
Why are our streets so unsafe? And what kind of country have we become where a young woman can be raped and murdered by a police officer who’s been vetted for the diplomatic protection service and authorised to carry a gun?
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