Carrick, Couzens & Corrupt Cops : Are British Women Safe?

Trigger warning: The content of this event may be emotionally challenging. Topics include: gender-based abuse, violence and sexual assault/rape.

This year, British police have been in the headlines for abusing their power and assaulting women, often with fatal consequences.

On Thursday 23rd February, our audience heard the true story from survivors, and learned what we can all do to turn the tide on police abuse.

Our expert panel shared their experience running the hard-hitting investigations and court cases we have all seen in the headlines this year. We heard how there is still hope, and considered the power each of us have in driving change to protect women and how to hold security forces to account.

As has become a much-loved tradition of AnotherWay Now events, the panel and audience had the chance to meet and chat at a nearby venue. These post-event mingles have created some interesting ripples, and they are gaining quite the reputation among our followers, old and new.

On 23rd February, we had one moderator and three panellists, each with their own perspective of the issue and potential solutions.

Panel Moderator: Meirion Jones, Editor, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism
An old friend of AnotherWay Now, Meirion Jones, joined us as our moderator. Meirion was a driving force behind this event, urging us to dedicate our spotlight to women’s safety, and introducing us to some of the UK’s top investigators in the area.

Meirion spent many years running investigations for the BBC at Newsnight and Panorama, and won the London Press Awards Scoop of the Year for his part in the Jimmy Savile revelations. Meirion continues to expose lies and corruption across the UK, speaking truth to power, often in the face of fierce backlash. We thank Meirion for his tireless work in the fights to uphold human rights.

Expert Panelist: Ruth Davison, Chief Executive, Refuge

Ruth leads Refuge in their work to end domestic abuse, and recently dumped 1071 bad apples outside the Met Police HQ to represent officers linked to violence against women and girls.

Expert Panelist: Anonymous Whistle-blower and Survivor

A serving British police officer joined our panel anonymously. They spoke of their own lived experience of abuse, and explained how the system is failing all survivors – even those blowing the whistle from within the force.

Expert Panelist: Suyin Haynes, Head of Editorial, Gal-Dem

Suyin is Head of Editorial at gal-dem, an award-winning media publication committed to sharing the perspectives of people of colour from marginalised genders.