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Failure to catch rapist Kirk Reid 'a Lawrence moment', says chief
Justin Davenport, Crime Correspondent27.03.09
ONE of Britain's most senior police officers today compared the failures to catch rapist Kirk Reid to the blunders in the investigation into the race murder of Stephen Lawrence.
Assistant Commissioner John Yates, who is the Association of Chief Police Officers' head of strategy for sex inquiries, said police had to re-invent rape investigation in the wake of a series of blunders.
He said the failures had led to a "Lawrence moment" in the investigation of sex offences. The Lawrence inquiry marked a watershed in how police tackle race crime.
Mr Yates spoke out after Reid, 44, a chef, was convicted yesterday of two rapes and 25 indecent assaults on women in south London. Police have linked him to at least 71 attacks and fear he may have carried out hundreds more.
However, Scotland Yard was forced to apologise to his victims after it emerged that police missed a dozen clues to catch him, allowing the football referee free to continue sex assaults.
Officers from the same squad also blundered in the case of black cab rapist John Worboys and another inquiry into the rape of a 15-year-old girl.
One of Reid's victims said today it was "beyond belief" why police did not catch him earlier. Candice Marsh, 30, who was left with Reid's DNA in her fingernails after he attacked her in December 2001, said: "I can't get my head around why they didn't take DNA from him."
Today Mr Yates, who has now taken charge of Scotland Yard's investigation of sex attacks, said though many rape cases were dealt with effectively "no chief constable can be confident that every case is dealt with in this way".
Mr Yates, writing in The Guardian, said: "My concern remains that in a range of heavy and competing priorities, rape cases do not get the attention they deserve. Some forces are doing exceptional things. But I know this is not the case everywhere.
"This must change. Rape investigation requires specially trained detectives to properly and thoroughly investigate cases where corroborative evidence is often difficult to find.
"We need leadership, particularly at the most senior level, to grip this issue. We need to reinvent our response as we did in relation to homicide after the tragic murder of Stephen Lawrence."
Police failures in the Reid case are being investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Commission.
Reader views (23)
I am not aware that Kirk Reid’s DNA was ever taken or wiped from any database. I’m sure if it had been wiped from the DNA database the Police would have publicised this fact,
It is probable they just never took a sample in 1995 as they are lazy or it disappeared in some filing cabinet. In any event he was listed as a prime suspect so should have had a elimination sample taken. This is not a cold case with no suspect the guy was listed as prime suspect police just waited four years to visit him. Why use this as example of storing unconvicted DNA when in reality it’s just a case of police incompetence.
- Ken Sims, London, UK
There's just gotta be a complete DNA database including every human being in the UK. Failure to register for sampling should be made a criminal offence and a samples taken when every child's birth is registered or person enters the country! Be sure crime would be reduced! As they say with reference to DNA cross identification procedures in the U.S. "If your brudder dun time, don't do crime!"
- Ralph Smith, Vancouver BC Canada
No doubt the police will show the same efficiency and professionalism when investigating the torture allegations against the intelligence services.
- Eric, London, England
The main reason for the terrible investigation regarding the horrific murder of Stephen Lawrence - and no doubt this currant case was in the main due/caused by enforced changes in the "types" of police recruitment and promotion and the complete lack of neccessary training systems.
Until these reasons are recognised and admitted police activities, behaviour, and investigations will continue to upset and embarass everyone other than criminals.
- Ed, london
When are the Met going to stop abusing the name of Stephen Lawrence every time they need to apologise for their latest incompetence.
The findings of 'institutional racism' were just gloss to cover up very specific corruption that deterred the police from making a holding a proper investigation.
This serial rapist was allowed to keep attacking because large parts of the Metropolitan police force are either glorified bouncers or desk jockeys.
Imagine how his family feel when every second Met officer is wringing their hands over their 'internal culture' a kid whose murder they couldn't be bothered to investigate.
This is just a bid for resources dressed up as self-criticism.
- Harry, Reading
If he had been wearing a hoodie...
- Trunk, US
Hear, hear, Steven.
Those who suggest that a DNA Database is the panacea to crime are sadly misguided. As has been evidenced in the past, we know that the government have an absolutely appalling record when it comes to the security of personal information, and given that thousands of people will have access to the system through various government departments, to call it 'secure' is frankly ludicrous. Mistakes will be made and innocent people will be presumed guilty because the 'DNA says so' - there will be less reason or motivation to investigate crime thoroughly.
It would be far better for the government to use the money they want to spend on the Database on policing instead.
- Sean, UK
This mans DNA was wiped when he was aquitted of his first attack. This was the law at the time, If it hadn't been he would have been arrested long ago and not able to commit all these crimes. People who want to reform the database and stop samples being kept for ever should remember that.
- Ritchie, london
Yeah, let's have a huge DNA database with every UK resident on file. That way every person the victims had come into contact with during the course of the day would've been in the frame for the attacks too. Then the police could waste even more time chasing up the wrong people.
This man wouldn't have been caught any quicker if we were all on a national database, or barcoded, or fitted with inbuilt GPS systems, his evasion of the law was simply down to bad policing. They should've taken his DNA when they brought him in for questioning and then tested it against the victims. They are allowed to do that and if the suspect refuses it only makes them more suspicious.
Having some huge database with everyone's DNA is a lazy way of investigating which requires no actual policing and would most likely result in perfectly innocent people being in the frame for crimes they didn't commit. I for one wouldn't like the police knocking on my door accusing me of rape or sexual assault just because they've matched my DNA with that on a victim or at the scene of a crime. There could be any number of reasons why I came into contact with them or was present at the scene. Once again people want easy, quick answers to a complex problem.
Why should I have to prove myself innocent? A national DNA database makes everybody a suspect.
- Steven, London
Let us hope the police, as well as being incompetent, are not as illiterate as some of your correspondents. Is this fellow the one the police were chasing sometime ago on Crimewatch? If so, he has been offending for years, and they even had his DNA, which traced him to the exact place of his birth.
- Jonathan Montmorency, cooden, uk.
I hope that the original team of incompetent detectives are now back in uniform on the beat.
- Shallotman, Basildon
There should be a DNA database of all UK residents - then many of this animal's victims would have been spared and crime in general would be massively reduced. We must ignore the self-righteous civil-liberties liberals and do what is necessary.
- Rtk, London
Apart from your comment Kerry being i bad taste ,there are many Brazilian electricains the met haven't killed
- John, london
No Russell its not soft policing its the general public who lobby against DNA testing and database collection..
Untill the public are fully behind DNA database expansion.. can we police more efficiently.
- Paul, Manchester
why dont we do away with the police and see what happens to the country. stockwell was a bad incident,but at least his family will get some compentsation, they would not get that in brazil.let the g20 people do their thing. smash things up..it will help us all..i dont think..please get in the real world..dont blame the police for everything..i know they they get things wrong sometimes and we should should rightly be able to ask for an investigation, but but get real..or should i say cool..
- Ken Paris, france
The Senior Investigating officer and his sidekicks investigating the case or not should be dismissed for incompetence. I rest my case
- Irene Gizelle, London UK
What a joke,firs of all do Briton got write people to do the job
H.Balow
Eindhoven Netherlands
- H.Balow, Eindhoven Netherland
Oh sorry, my bad. Not good enough!
- Aria, South London
Pity he wasn't an innocent brazilian electrician, the Met would have gunned him down!!!!
What a shower the Met are
- Kerry, Purley
Another consequence of softly-softly policing in London??
- Russell, London
The police could have done better but surely we should reserve our contempt for the scum-bag who commited these crimes.
- Richard Kennard, Welling
Why do I keep getting this item on screen when I wanted to comment on the Ed Balls (suggesting that his name suits him!) article - that's what I have been clicking on ?
- Raymond, Poole
blunder of the yard is Parr for the course.
like some manic pin ball machine the peelers ricochet from one pocket of missed opportunity to one of blind incompetence and then ping off to gross negligence.
woodentops are rarely the brightest spanners in the works.
- M.O'Brien, london.uk
