London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

'Toxic culture of sexism' in police, says former police chief

'Toxic culture of sexism' in police, says former police chief

A former police chief has said she would think "very carefully" about reporting a crime committed against her because of how she would be "judged".

Susannah Fish, former chief constable of Nottinghamshire Police, said there was a "toxic culture of sexism" in significant parts of policing.

But the police chiefs' body said women who came forward would be listened to.

It comes after the killing of Sarah Everard sparked concerns for women's safety in public.

During an interview with BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, Ms Fish was asked how she felt about reporting a crime to the police as a woman.

She replied that while reporting a crime against property was "not an issue", for a crime against herself she would "probably struggle for how I would be judged".

Ms Fish added that while some officers would be "sensitive", others would not.

"I also know in terms of conviction rates and the challenges of going through the criminal justice system, as a woman, it's thankless," she said.

"Endless repeated humiliation, telling your story over and over again, worrying whether you're ever going to be believed, putting yourself through that repeatedly, as well as the shame of what's happened to you."

She added that victim-blaming had become "endemic" and "trying to then explain yourself and justify yourself, just feels to me to be incredibly difficult".

However, Olivia Pinkney, chief constable of Hampshire Police and representing the National Police Chiefs' Council, told the programme: "When women have the courage to come forward to anyone, including the police, then they will be listened to, they will be heard, they will be supported.

"I know that happens, because I know that we follow up every case."

She added: "I'm sure that we get stuff wrong. But if we get it wrong, then we'll hear about it and we'll fix it."

The Met Police were criticised for how they handled a vigil for Sarah Everard over the weekend

On Monday, Ms Fish described the Met Police response to a vigil for Ms Everard last weekend as "institutional" misogyny.

The force faced criticism over its handling of the vigil, where officers handcuffed women and removed them from crowds on Clapham Common in south London.

The home secretary has commissioned an independent investigation into the force's decisions, which were taken in the light of Covid restrictions.

Met Commissioner Cressida Dick said she agreed on the need for a "sober review" but defended how officers responded to the "really big crowd".

Ms Everard, 33, went missing while walking home alone in Clapham on 3 March. Her body was found a week later in Kent woodland and a Met Police officer has been charged with her kidnap and murder.

Asked what she meant by institutional misogyny in the way the police handled the vigil, Ms Fish told Woman's Hour that while there were "many good people" in policing, it was about the "mindset" and "culture" of the institution and how decisions were made.

"I think there is still significant parts of policing where there is a very toxic culture of sexism, of misogyny that objectifies women," she added.

Under Ms Fish's leadership, Nottinghamshire Police was the first force to record misogyny as a hate crime in 2016.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×