The police establishment has hardly been covering itself in glory this week, neither during nor after the sentencing of Sarah Everard’s killer. Their spin has broadly consisted of distancing themselves from Wayne Couzens as much as possible and not engaging with womens’ new fears of policemen themselves. Today the response has hit a new low as a Tory police and crime commissioner Philip Allott had a shocking BBC radio interview:

“So women, first of all, need to be streetwise about when they can be arrested and when they can’t be arrested. She should never have been arrested and submitted to that.

“Perhaps women need to consider in terms of the legal process, to just learn a bit about that legal process”.

If the comments weren’t embarrassing enough for both the force and the Tories, Guido spots Priti Patel herself made the journey up to North Yorkshire earlier this year to campaign for Allott to become police and crime commissioner.

The whole policing establishment needs to get a grip ASAP…

UPDATE: Allot apologises “wholeheartedly” for his comments “Which I realise have been insensitive and wish to retract them in full.”