Exclusive polling for The Independent by Savanta suggests that the opinion of almost half of women in the UK has worsened over the past two years - a period marred by the murder of Sarah Everard.
The survey was conducted days after serial rapist David Carrick admitted abusing 12 women over two decades, while the Metropolitan Police repeatedly decided not to sack him over domestic abuse reports.
When asked whether they trusted police, 41 percent of people said they did not, with 23 percent distrusting officers "a little" and 18 percent "a lot".
When asked if their feelings had changed in the past two years, 42 percent of Brits said they trusted the police less, while 18 percent said they trusted them more and the remainder had not changed their feelings.
Women were more likely to report a fall in trust than men and overall, 43 percent of people said women "should not have confidence in the police in the UK".
New official figures released last week show that while a record number of rapes are being reported to the police, the proportion charged stands at just 1.6 percent, and 3.2 percent of sexual offences overall.
At the same time, a fresh wave of scandals is brewing as more police officers face court cases and misconduct hearings over allegations of sexual offences, domestic abuse, and corruption.
This story is from the January 31, 2023 edition of The Independent.
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This story is from the January 31, 2023 edition of The Independent.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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