TW: This article contains mentions of sexual harassment, abuse, and murder
Trust. Something that is hard to gain but can easily be lost. And no, I’m not talking about the relationship type. I’m talking about the type where we have a system that is meant to protect us but fails us in many ways.
These past few weeks have been incredibly scary for women. Whilst watching Sarah Everard’s disappearance evolve into a murder investigation, many of us felt a wave of fear and uncertainty for our safety.
We then learned that the man charged on suspicion of murdering Sarah was a metropolitan police officer – a man she should have been able to trust. He abused his position of power to murder an innocent woman who just wanted to walk home. At that moment, I really learned that as a woman, there are very few men I can trust, even if their profession should enable me too.
New Government Measures Set To Fall In Place
Downing Street announced it was taking a series of ‘immediate steps’ to improve security following the outcry after Sarah’s death. One step struck me in particular for how absurd it was. A plan was introduced to run a nationwide pilot scheme to introduce undercover police officers patrolling clubs and bars.
These measures were announced after a meeting of the Government’s Crime and Justice Taskforce and was chaired by the Prime Minister.
“Ultimately, we must drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to better protect and defend them.”
“The Government is completely missing the point”
Oh Boris Johnson, what an ironic thing for you to say. You have heard us cry out for help, share our stories and demand better protection. But, instead of listening to the voices of women, what do you suggest to us? Police officers in jeans and scruffy polos, desperately attempting to fit in within the crowd of a nightclub. Men who will stick out like a sore thumb. Men leant up against the bar top with a cheap, low alcohol pint in their hand, whilst their eyes scan the crowd, predominately looking at women. How does that ensure my safety? The simple answer, it doesn’t.
It seems particularly odd that the Government decided to put these measures in place in bars and nightclubs despite Sarah’s last steps being traced to a street she was walking down in Clapham, London. Our outcry for safety was because we do not feel safe on our streets and yet this has been overlooked. It seems the priority of the police on the streets is to protect monuments rather than real women.
The Government is completely missing the point. I promise you that if a man approaches me in a nightclub, insisting he is an undercover officer, there are two things I will think of: you’re lying or that I still do not feel safe.
We Still Don’t Feel Safe
Regardless of profession, I cannot put my faith and trust in a man I do not know. As women, we have heard countless stories of how male police officers abuse their power for their own personal gain. I know there are some men out there who want to help and protect us but I do not know which ones. I will not trust you just because you tell me you are a police officer. You’re badge and title mean nothing to me when it comes to my protection against sexual harassment and abuse.
“The constant rhetoric of it not being all men is unproductive and boring”
With that being said, I know it’s a small proportion of police officers who use their power to take advantage of women. The constant rhetoric of it not being all men is unproductive and boring; women know it’s not all men, so stop telling us this. We just don’t know which ones can be trusted.
Do men understand we walk home in the evening with our keys clenched tightly in our hands? We constantly have to be aware of our surroundings and we will often cross the street when we see a group of men. Women have to constantly change their behaviour in order to feel a little bit safer, but we are never safe.
We are begging for protection, but we shouldn’t have too. The focus needs to be on changing the behaviours and attitudes that men have rather than us. The issue will never be solved through women alone – we cannot control the conscious decisions men make when they decide to harass, abuse, kidnap, or murder us. We are being ignored whilst the police focus on protecting inanimate statues or acting aggressively to women who attended the vigil of someone who was killed by someone in that same profession.
That is why we will continue to not trust a system that abuses its power.
Emily Wheeler
Emily Wheeler
Featured Image courtesy of David Jackson via Unsplash. This image has in no way been altered. Image license can be found here.