Nick Afgrave's remarks after Sarah Everard's murder led to accusations of “deafness” at the Met. to women's safety issues. Credit: PA Wire
A former senior Metropolitan police officer who advised women to stop a bus if they didn't trust a cop after the murder of Sarah Everard has been named head of the Serious Fraud Office. (SFO).
Nick Afgrave, who was Assistant Commissioner at the Met and Chief Constable of the Surrey Police, will take over as Director of the SFO at the end of September, replacing Lisa Osofsky.
He is the first former police officer to lead the police. economic crime agency and will serve a five-year sentence.
Attorney General Victoria Prentice said his “leadership experience in law enforcement and the wider criminal justice system” made him “the most ideal candidate for moving forward SFO.”
Mr. Afgrave is best known as the former First Lieutenant of Dame Cressida Dick, former Commissioner of the Met.
He began his career at the Met, where he also worked as a detective, but left in 2015. to lead the Surrey police force.
In 2019, he returned to the Met as Assistant Commissioner under Dame Cressida, who has led a string of culture-related scandals in the UK's largest police force and her handling of several high-profile investigations. .
These included the investigation into the murder of Sarah Everard, a 33-year-old girl who was abducted from Clapham Common by police officer Wayne Cousens in March 2021.
Police Officer Wayne Cousins' the murder of Sarah Everard provoked a crisis in the security forces. Credit: AFP
Cousins later confessed to the kidnapping, rape and murder of Ms Everard and was sentenced to life in prison, the most severe punishment available to British judges.
The Met faced criticism for cracking down on women holding a vigil for Ms Everard during the pandemic and was later accused of being “deaf” to women's safety issues when Mr Afgrave advised them during a press conference to wave to the bus. if you get close to him. an officer they didn't trust.
He also suggested that those with problems could yell at a passerby, run into the house, knock on the door, or call 999.
However, he acknowledged that Everard's murder meant that the Met should “learn our own culture.”
A Whitehall source stressed that Mr. Afgrave has emerged as the clear leader in a “thorough” search for a new SFO director.
On Wednesday, Mr. Afgrave said he was “honoured” to take on the role and famously visited the agency's office near Trafalgar Square to introduce himself.
During his speech, he is believed to have raised “difficulties at work” following a string of setbacks at SFO, including the overturning of several Unaoil bribery convictions.
Neil Swift, partner at the law firm Peters & Peters, said Mr. Efgrave would need to “pick a direction” on whether to go after more individual executives or their companies.
He added: “SFO's track record suggests that it cannot do both.”
In a statement, Mr. Afgrave said: “SFO plays a unique and pivotal role in the British response to economic crime.
“I look forward to building on her recent successes and continuing to work towards long-term improvements in her operations.”
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