Sarah Everard: Sajid Javid grilled over Philip Allott's comments

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It comes as a new taskforce is to be launched to tackle violence against women and girls. Ms Patel said the independent probe will “ensure something like this can never happen again”. The Home Office said that the first part of the inquiry will examine police officer Wayne Couzens’s ­conduct before he kidnapped, raped and murdered Sarah – and whether ­­any opportunities were missed to stop him.

The second part will look at “wider issues across policing”, which could include vetting practices and workplace behaviour.

Boris Johnson is launching the new taskforce to counter violence against women, bringing together police chiefs, health officials, social services and education bosses.

It will focus on practical steps, such as better street lighting and tougher prison sentences for abusers. It will also educate boys not to harass women and girls.

Couzens, 48, received a whole life sentence at the Old Bailey last ­week for the kidnap, rape and ­murder of Sarah.

The judge said he had undermined the authority of the police and the trust of the public.

Couzens used Covid laws to trick Sarah into his car in a fake arrest. ­He handcuffed the 33-year-old ­marketing manager to stop her escaping and used his police-issue belt to strangle her.

Ms Patel told the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester ­yesterday: “Recent tragic events have exposed unimaginable failures in policing.

“It is abhorrent that a serving police officer was able to abuse his position of power, authority and trust to commit such a horrific crime.

“The public have a right to know what systematic failures enabled his continued employment as a police officer.

“We need answers as ­to why this was allowed to happen.

“I can confirm today, there will be an inquiry ­to give the independent oversight needed, to ensure something like this can never happen again.”

Police vetting procedures have come under severe pressure after it emerged Couzens was twice linked to indecent exposure incidents and was still allowed to guard sensitive sites. Several of his former colleagues are under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct over material shared in a WhatsApp group including the murderer.

Policing minister Kit Malthouse said that although the investigation will not be a full-blown statutory public inquiry, it would be an “inquiry in public”.

He said: “It will be ­an inquiry in public, although we’ve reserved the right to make it a formal public inquiry…if the person leading is not getting the evidence they need.”

The new taskforce will aim to restore confidence in policing after a series of scandals.

The Prime Minister called violence against women “the number one issue in policing” and said the way forces approach it is “just not working”. Mr Johnson has ruled out making misogyny a hate crime, ­saying it would overload the justice system and make the fight against rape and domestic violence harder.

Asked about the ­campaign for misogyny to be made a specific hate crime, he replied: “I think what we need to do is ­prosecute people for crimes on the statute book.

“To be perfectly frank, if you ­simply widen the scope of what you ask the police to do, you’ll just increase the problem.”

The PM added: “There must be radical change in what we do. There is an abundance of statutes that are not being properly enforced and that is what we must focus on.

“The police need to be taking women’s complaints seriously. And we need to be contracting that period between a woman reporting her complaint and the disposal ­
in court because it is taking far ­too long.

“That is why women feel betrayed by the system.”

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Hundreds of people protested over violence against women last night at a seaside vigil for teacher Sabina Nessa.

Women’s rights groups and politicians were among those remembering the 28-year-old who was killed last month.

Many held candles and banners – some bearing the names of murdered women – at the event in Eastbourne, the town where the man suspected of her murder was arrested.

Co-organiser Natasha Peacock, 35, said: “In 2021, there have been 110 murders of women by men, yet most people will only have heard about two.”

Fellow organiser Nicolette Florides, 35, said: “I want to push for self-defence classes to be taught in schools.”

And Marie Goodchild, 41, said: “Why do we struggle to comprehend that a victim is never responsible for their abuse?”

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