Angiolini Inquiry
Response from Chief Constable Chesterman to today's Angiolini Inquiry Report
Today will be another very difficult day for Sarah Everard’s family and friends, and my thoughts and sympathies remain with them, and the other victims who encountered Couzens over the last 20 years. All of us in policing were horrified by his actions and I apologise unreservedly for the part CNC played in his entry as a full-time police officer.
The case of Wayne Couzens shocked and appalled all of us who work at the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and has had far reaching consequences for UK society and policing. That a serving police officer should have committed such horrendous crimes by exploiting his occupation to approach his victim has left a lasting impact on us all.
The publication of the Angiolini Inquiry shows that Couzens was a predatory sexual offender and that the police service as a whole has much work to do to strengthen police recruitment and vetting procedures. We share the revulsion and anger expressed by our colleagues in the Metropolitan Police towards his crimes. I will always deeply regret that Couzens served in our force. He was not fit to wear the uniform.
Please be assured that any additional learning contained in the report will be implemented in full, if this has not already occurred. Over the last three years we have placed significant focus on improving our vetting and professional standards, investing in increased resources and capability across both functions.
Much progress has already been made; however, we accept there is much more to do to gain back the trust and respect of the public for policing, especially that of women and girls and we are committed to doing so.
CNC background of Wayne Couzens
- Wayne Couzens joined the CNC in March 2011, having served as a sergeant in the Special Constabulary with Kent Police between 2005 and 2009. On joining the CNC as an Authorised Firearms Officer (AFO), he was vetted to DV level by UK Security Vetting
- When he first joined the CNC, he served initially at Sellafield before transferring to the Dungeness site in March 2012. Between November 2014 and April 2016, he served as part of the Strategic Escort Group (SEG), he was never deployed outside England
- On leaving SEG he continued to serve as an AFO at Dungeness before leaving the CNC on 9 September 2018 to join the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS)
- During his time with the CNC, we have no recorded complaints or allegations of misconduct made against him by his colleagues or members of the public
- Media reporting and social media commentary since Couzens arrest has focused on the allegation that Couzens was known as ‘the rapist’ by CNC colleagues. We immediately sought to establish evidence to help the MPS with their investigation. We have found no evidence of this alleged nickname internally despite completing extensive covert searches of our IT systems and chat groups; personally asking every CNC employee if they had heard the nickname; providing an anonymous Safecall line for any employees, especially women, to report any concerns they might have had; and Professional Standards personnel carrying out enquiries at units with people he used to work with
- On sentencing, the MPS also gave this statement: It has been claimed he was given a repugnant nickname while working for another police service. We are not aware of any evidence that supports this claim, which was attributed to an anonymous source in the media. No-one has come forward to us to confirm he was known as this