For several decades we have demanded action to stop police rape and police racism. In 2020, Black Lives Matter brought police racist violence to public attention. That year after two sisters of colour, Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry, were murdered in a London Park, the police behaved appallingly, not even investigating. Their mother Mina Smallman publicly campaigned for the police to find the murderer and it emerged that two officers had taken selfies with their bodies and mocked them in a WhatsApp group. They were later prosecuted.

In 2021, Sarah Everard was kidnapped, raped and murdered by a serving police officer, Wayne Couzens. There followed an extraordinary outpouring about police violence, particularly against people with less power: women, people of colour, queer, trans, people with disabilities… including from women officers and police wives/partners.

Rape has been practically decriminalised. Convictions are at an all-time low of 1.3% of reported rapes. We demand thorough rape and domestic violence investigations and convictions. Investigate the accused and stop the intrusive searches of victim’s phones, other media, and medical records. But instead, Parliament gave police sweeping new powers including to arrest and criminalise protesters, in the Police Crime Courts and Sentencing Act, against which we protested as it passed through parliament.  Now they seek to extend these powers via the Public Order Bill.