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Susanna Reid urges police to make women ‘feel safe’ after clash at Sarah Everard vigil

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Susanna Reid has urged the police to make women ‘feel safe’ on the streets of London after seeing the ‘shocking’ images of officers clashing with Sarah Everard protesters. 

A vigil was held on Clapham Common on Saturday night in memory of Ms Everard, the 33-year-old marketing executive who was found murdered last week after going missing earlier this month. 

Police officer Wayne Couzens has been charged with her murder. 

However, the peaceful protest descended into chaos as Metropolitan Police officers arrested four people. Protesters argued that raising awareness about the safety of women in London was more important than lockdown measures. 

Reacting to the scenes, Susanna said on Monday’s Good Morning Britain: ‘It’s such a sensitive, difficult situation. The women were there because the life of a woman was taken in exactly that part of London and women wanted to pay respects to that individual woman. 

‘They also wanted to say that they themselves feel unsafe. We rely on the police, I rely on the police. I live in South London, I need the police to protect me and they have in many untold ways and also in particular ways when I’ve been a victim of crime.’ 

Police officers form a cordon around a statue of former prime minister Winston Churchill in Parliament Square in central London on March 14, 2021 as protesters calling for greater public safety for women after the death of Sarah Everard, against the police handling of a gathering on Clapham Common in Sarah Everard's honour and against a proposed law that would give police more powers to intervene on protests continue their gathering. - London's Metropolitan Police on Sunday defended its handling of a high-profile protest calling for greater public safety for women, after male officers were seen scuffling with the crowd and physically restraining female demonstrators. Hundreds defied coronavirus restrictions on Saturday night to gather on Clapham Common park to mark the death of Sarah Everard, who went missing nearby as she walked home earlier this month. A serving police officer with the London force has since been charged with her kidnap and murder. (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS / AFP) (Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images)
Police officers clashed with Sarah Everard protesters over the weekend (Picture: AFP via Getty Images)

The presenter continued: ‘We do not want to attack our police force this morning, we need them but what happened on Saturday night, those pictures are shocking because of the nature of the protest.’ 

Susanna then wondered: ‘What should police have done in that situation? Should they have stood back and said on this occasion we are not going to break up what appears to be an unlawful gathering?’ 

The Met Police has faced widespread criticism for their officers’ response to the vigil and calls for Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick to resign mounted.

However, the commissioner has refused to quit and said she would only have attended the vigil if it were lawful. 

Good Morning Britain airs weekdays at 6am on ITV. 

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