LONDON — A UK enquiry into the rape and murder of a woman by a British police officer three years ago called on Thursday (Feb 29) for a major overhaul of police vetting and recruitment. 

Wayne Couzens, who served with the London Metropolitan Police's diplomatic protection squad, is serving a life sentence for kidnapping and killing 33-year-old Sarah Everard in south London in March 2021.

Her death shocked the United Kingdom, sparked protests and fuelled mistrust of the police. 

The enquiry commissioned by Britain's interior ministry found that three separate police forces "repeatedly ignored" warning signs about Couzens, including prior alleged sexual offences going back 20 years and money problems.

"Wayne Couzens was never fit to be a police officer," said Ms Elish Angiolini, the author of the report on the enquiry, which was published on Thursday.

"Failures in recruitment and vetting meant Couzens was able to continue a pleasing career which should have been denied to him."

Ms Angiolini added that police chiefs need to "radically transform their approach to police culture" and urged every police force in the country to "read this report and take immediate action".

"Without a significant overhaul, there is nothing to stop another Couzens operating in plain sight," she implored.

Among her recommendations, Ms Angiolini called for an urgent review of indecent exposure charges against serving officers and said reports of the crime need to be taken seriously.

The Met apologised in March last year for not picking up on indecent exposure offences committed by Couzens before Ms Everard's murder. AFP