The new Chief Constable of the West Mercia Police has attempted to offer reassurance to the public after the kidnap, rape, and murder of Sarah Everard. 

Chief Constable Pippa Mills released a statement on Friday after Police officer Wayne Couzens, 48, was handed a whole life order on Thursday, September 30.

She spoke of the "understandable damage to public trust and confidence in policing" that has occurred in the fallout after Sarah Everard's murder.  

It has recently been revealed that a McDonald's worker reported Couzens to the police after two incidents of the jailed killer reportedly exposing himself at a drive-through in February, just weeks before he went on to kill the 33-year-old.

In yet another shocking development, a Metropolitan officer who served in the same unit as Couzens was charged with rape by the Hertfordshire Constabulary on Sunday.

PC David Carrick, 46, of Stevenage, has been accused of attacking a woman he met on Tinder while off duty in September of last year and will appear in court on November 1. 

The investigations into PC Carrick have raised yet more concerns about policing in the UK, but Chief Constable Mills has insisted that any such incident in West Mercia would be met with a "robust investigation".

She said: "Offences of this nature are thankfully rare in West Mercia, but when they are reported not only do, we prioritise them, but we also provide a thorough and robust investigation.

"Any suggestion of police officer involvement in such offending would immediately be escalated to our Professional Standards Department and considered for referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

"However, we aren’t complacent. We will review the key points of learning that have come to light as a result of this and will engage with any recommendations."

Police have told members of the public to question officers if they are not certain of their identity and intentions and have been told to dial 999 if they feel they are in danger.

And chief constable Mills has said that she has encouraged her officers to support anyone following these steps.

"Our colleagues in the Metropolitan Police have released some public advice as to the steps to take to confirm an officer’s identity and confirm correct procedure," she added.

"We have shared this with our officers and will expect them to support anyone taking these steps to reassure themselves."

In her statement released on Friday, Chief Constable Mills insisted that the West Mercia Police were "focussed on preventing and responding to violence against women and girls". 

The Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion previously allocated funding for 5,000 personal safety alarms as a part of his pledge to 'tackle violence against women.'

And while Chief Constable Mills said that the West Mercia Police will continue to work in partnership with local agencies to deliver similar preventative measures, she insisted that the overall target is to tackle violence against women as a societal issue.

She said: "We do work in partnership with the PCC, and other local agencies to implement preventative tactics wherever possible.

"As stated, we have dedicated resources and specific plans for the prevention and detection of violence against women and girls, and support for victims.

"However, we recognise that the responsibility and onus on personal safety shouldn’t be placed on women and girls but is a wider societal issue."