UK police boss quits after comments about murder victim

A British police chief has resigned after sparking an outcry with comments he made about how women should be more “streetwise” when he spoke about the abduction, rape and murder of a woman by a police officer

LONDON -- A British police chief resigned Thursday after sparking an outcry with comments he made about how women should be more “streetwise” when he spoke about the abduction, rape and murder of a woman by a police officer.

Philip Allott stepped down as North Yorkshire police, fire and crime commissioner after being accused of misogyny and victim blaming for comments he made in a radio interview in the aftermath of the sentencing of London police officer Wayne Couzens.

Couzens was convicted last month of tricking 33-year-old Sarah Everard into his car by arresting her on the pretext of breaking COVID-19 lockdown rules, then raping and murdering her.

In the BBC interview earlier this month, Allott said women “need to be streetwise about when they can be arrested and they can’t be arrested.” He said Everard should “never have been arrested and submitted to that.”