Making misogyny a hate crime won’t make women safer
Criminalising boorish sexism will do nothing to stop the next Wayne Couzens.
The horrific details of Sarah Everard’s kidnap, rape and murder have understandably led to demands for an explanation. Women want to know how this crime could have happened and what needs to change to prevent such a horrendous event from ever happening again. But some of the public discussion that has raged since last week’s sentencing of Wayne Couzens risks making it seem as if misogyny killed Sarah, and not this one uniquely depraved individual.
The murder of Sarah Everard is being held up as proof that the Metropolitan Police force is institutionally misogynistic. Accusers point to a ‘canteen culture’ in the police. They ask how the Met could have allowed Couzens to be recruited and keep his job despite the fact that he has been accused of indecent exposure. They point to his participation in sexist WhatsApp group chats with fellow officers. Campaigners argue that a culture of misogyny leaves women unable to trust the police.