North Yorkshire Police right to embrace change following the first part of Angiolini Inquiry
Britain has long adhered to the principle of policing by consent but public support is at risk with trust being eroded by high profile cases such as the abduction, rape and murder of Sarah Everard.
That is why the inquiry into the murder by former police officer Wayne Couzens needs to be a watershed moment for all forces across Britain.
A failure to implement changes will not be tolerated by all right thinking members of society. It bears repeating, Couzens was not just one bad apple and it was not a Met problem either.
Therefore North Yorkshire Police’s response to the Angiolini Inquiry is to be welcomed with the force setting out a number of changes.
In a candid statement, North Yorkshire Police said: “In police circles we often hear it said that Wayne Couzens wasn't one of us. The reality is that he was. He swore an oath.
"He wore the uniform. And he was warranted with police powers. We cannot change what has gone before but our focus must be on ensuring anyone who is not committed to operating at the highest standards of police conduct has no place in North Yorkshire Police.”
The force also goes on to talk about cultivating an “upstander culture”.
As Daxa Patel writes in today’s newspaper, bystanders have a crucial role to play in challenging abuse.
Lady Elish Angiolini published the findings of part one of her two-year inquiry at the end of February. Every police force, and indeed wider society, should let this inquiry be the turning point in attitudes towards women.