300 people tell BBC of police misogyny and racism after undercover investigation

Following Panorama’s undercover investigation, more than 300 people approached the BBC with allegations of racism, corruption and bullying of victims by police.

More than seven months of undercover footage has revealed evidence of racism, misogyny and officers’ delight in the use of force at one of London’s busiest police stations.

One of the main themes that hundreds of people contacted was misogyny as they reported domestic abuse and sexual violence; Some said reporting their rape to the police was “like being raped all over again.”

In response to the latest allegations, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said it was “working hard to create a culture of integrity and trust” and had improved its review and misconduct procedures.

We spoke to many women who contacted us with stories of abuse, whose experiences span police forces all over the UK, from rural areas to big cities. We have changed their names to protect their identities.

A police officer allegedly told Joanna to “grow up a pair” when she reported being punched in the face by her partner several months ago.

He says that when his wife returned home, he drank excessively and attacked her in anger. She found herself at the local police station in tears.

“I was devastated and the police made it 10 times worse. I had a bruise on my face from the punch and one of the officers looked at me like I was exaggerating everything,” she said.

“He told me to grow a pair… followed by a giggle. I couldn’t believe what I heard. It took so long to get there in the first place and then I wished I hadn’t.”

One woman was motivated to contact the BBC by a scene filmed by Panorama in which a Metropolitan Police officer ignored a pregnant woman’s allegations of rape and domestic violence. The officer said to a colleague: “That’s what he says.”

Ava was also pregnant when she ran away from her abusive partner, who she says raped and shot her multiple times. He said that the treatment and attitude of the police officers he met that night meant that he would never contact the police again.

The woman, who said she was devastated because they did not believe her, said, “No one can be raped more than once.”

“It was like being raped all over again,” she said. “What they put me through was worse than anything I’ve ever experienced before.”

Ava said evidence to support her case was “deliberately ignored” and that when there was no evidence of an attack on CCTV she was told “it’s just your word against his word”.

She believes being a black woman makes things worse.

“The color of my skin meant that everything was against me. The language they used and how condescending and sarcastic they were was both misogynistic and racist,” she said.

“They asked me why I thought he was doing this to me, like I was the problem, like I did everything.”

Police Minister Sarah Jones told the BBC the government would not tolerate these “sickening comments” and urged people to report them.

He said police chiefs had been given new powers to sack officers who committed gross misconduct. “We will root out those who are unfit to serve the people,” he said.

Another woman, Claire, told how she escaped from an abusive ex-partner who forcibly controlled her for 12 years, only to realize police did not want to get involved when he violated court orders to stay away from her.

On one occasion, her former partner broke into her home and locked her out despite an injunction banning her from the property.

He said it took more than seven hours for police to arrive and then they “just stood around laughing and chatting with him.” She and her three children had to stay with a friend for months.

Claire said: “After speaking to the police I felt even more scared and even more alone. This is a boys’ club, a network of police stations, police forces and county lines.” he said.

“I never call the police and I’m still worried they’ll find me and show up.”

In 2016, a training program called Domestic Abuse Issues was developed by the Police College. The program is being used by 37 of the 44 police forces in England and Wales to improve the way they deal with victims of sexual and domestic violence.

Part of the NPCC and Police College’s strategy on violence against women and girls says one of its priorities is to challenge sexism and misogyny among officers.

Helen Millichap, NPCC Assistant Commissioner for violence against women and girls, told the BBC police chiefs were working with survivors of domestic abuse and sexual offenses to continue to reform training, “focusing on helping first responders understand the dynamics of abuse and empathize with victims”.

He said “officers should feel safe calling out misogyny and sexism in policing” but that improved investigation and misconduct procedures “are effective in identifying and removing people who should not be in policing.”

One of the women contacted by the BBC said that after watching the Panorama programme, she was shocked to find that nothing had changed in the decades since she was raped in her youth.

The woman, now in her 40s, said: “As a result, I did not spend a night without nightmares, and I ignored most of the questions the police officers asked me. They belittled me as if I was part of the problem.”

“While watching Panorama, I realized that I was one of thousands of people, that I was not alone. They made me feel like I was.”