Five officers disciplined for handling of Worboys investigation

The disciplining of five officers handling a sexual assault investigation involving former black cab driver John Worboys should be a “wake up call” to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to ensure the changes the force is implementing make “a real difference” to other victims of sexual offences, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has said.

On January 20 the IPCC published the findings of its investigation into complaints lodged by a woman assaulted by Worboys in July 2007.

As a result of the investigation five officers have been disciplined and four key recommendations were made to the MPS regarding its handling of sexual offence enquiries.

The IPCC substantiated all claims made by the victim, concluding that; the officers handling the case had missed opportunities to identify Worboys as the offender, that individuals had made errors of judgement in their handling of the case, and that a number of more systemic issues needed to be addressed.

The woman who made the complaint first contacted the MPS on July 26, 2007, saying she had been sexually assaulted by the driver of a London taxi. An investigation began and John Worboys was arrested the next day. He was bailed pending further inquiries, but the investigation was closed in October 2007, as it was decided that there was insufficient evidence to take to the Crown Prosecution Service.

He went on to attack a further seven women before he was arrested for a second time and subsequently charged in February 2008. In March 2009, he was convicted of 19 charges, including one count of rape and four sexual assaults from October 2006 to February 2008. He was sentenced to an indeterminate sentence on April 21, 2009, at Croydon Crown Court.

The MPS conducted an internal review of their overall handling of the Worboys investigation and as a result a number of changes were made to the way they force handles reports of sexual offences.

The force then referred the case to the IPCC, which was also addressing the complaint from the woman assaulted by Worboys in July, 2007.

The IPCC concluded that steps have been taken by the MPS to address the concerns raised, but more needs to be done if public confidence in the police’s response to reports of rape and sexual offences is to improve.

IPCC Commissioner for London, Deborah Glass, said: “The number of victims in these cases and the public reaction to the police response has undoubtedly acted as a wake-up call to the Met in its response to the victims of sexual violence.

“They have since reviewed their own procedures and training, and the changes they have already implemented are significant. However it is inevitable that there will be a degree of scepticism about whether this is enough to deal with what is widely regarded as a long neglected area of policing.

“The onus is now on the Met to demonstrate that these changes make a real and tangible difference, and our recommendations are designed to help them achieve that.”

The IPCC’s recommendations include:

• The MPS should provide information online and in leaflet form which sets out what victims of sexual offences can expect from the police during the reporting, investigation and court case, along with information about making complaints if the service they should expect is not met.
• There should be a requirement for victims to be updated regularly, by a named contact, in an agreed way at a time that suits them.
• The MPS needs to work more closely with the voluntary sector, who have a crucial role working with victims to promote public confidence in the police. Third party reporting should be made available on a more formal basis than it currently is, and the training given to front line officers should be quality checked by independent observers from the voluntary sector.
• The MPS should consider sharing information on cases of rape and sexual assault with local authorities if it is thought this could benefit the inv