Commander Kevin Southworth, Met lead for public protection, was joined by Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe in recognising the outstanding work of officers and staff from across the Met in tackling high harm offenders and abusers and supporting victim survivors at a ceremony at New Scotland Yard Thursday, 23 March.
He said: “The examples seen here are just a snapshot of the work going on everyday across the Met, where dedicated officers and staff across public protection are providing a tenacious and professional service in bringing predatory offenders to justice, and an exemplary level of duty and care to the victim survivors affected by some of the most awful crimes.
“Many of the offences we deal with in public protection are at the heart of concerns around violence against women and girls. I am hugely heartened that with fantastic work like this in the Met we can and will re-build the trust and confidence of our communities.”
- The South-East Sapphire team were awarded for their response and investigation into a stranger rape, when a 19-year old woman was assaulted following a night out with friends. Within 24-hours, the team had identified and arrested the suspect following extensive checks based on the vehicle in which the rape took place. The vehicle concerned was registered to a female owner but delving into police intelligence, the team identified that the victim’s partner was known for previous violent and sexual offences and matched the suspect description. The fast time identification and arrest of the suspect, collection of witness statements and digital evidence were key to securing two counts of rape against the perpetrator; he was charged and remanded just over 48 hours after the incident occurring.
- DS Laura Thomas and PC Michelle Geiles were awarded for their work into a Domestic abuse investigation. A conviction was secured for a high harm offender following a five year investigation involving the relationships between the defendant and two women who were under coercive control, manipulation and abusive behaviour. Laura and Michelle supported the two survivors through the prosecution process, trial and subsequent re-trial. He was found guilty of all counts on the indictment including seven counts of rape and was sentenced to life in prison, with a minimum term of 18 years.
- Public protection also starts from the minute someone makes a call to police. Kevin Bedford from Met CC took a 999 call from a woman informing him that she and her friend had been taken to a flat and raped, locked in a bathroom and did not know where they were. Kevin used his skills to determine their location so that officers could be sent to help, talking them through how to use the ‘What 3 words’ App. At one point during the call the suspects were heard to enter the bathroom; Kevin remained silent so that the suspects were not alerted to the fact that the victim was on the line to police. Kevin’s calm professionalism led to the attending officers being able to locate the victims as well as apprehending the suspects and begin securing the crime scene.
