Britain's prime minister has vowed to take action on the issue of violence against women after a national outpouring of grief and outrage over the death of a woman who went missing after setting out to walk home in London.
Boris Johnson on Sunday also promised several reviews into the policing of a vigil for Sarah Everard on Saturday night, after male officers were seen scuffling with and restraining female demonstrators - further souring the national mood.
Ms Everard was found dead days after she went missing on 3 March. A
Reclaim These Streets, which organised the protest that was eventually banned because of coronavirus restrictions, condemned the actions of officers "physically manhandling women at a vigil against male violence".
Mr Johnson, who will hold a meeting of his crime and justice taskforce on Monday to discuss violence against women, said London's police force and a watchdog would conduct separate reviews into the handling of the protest.
"Like everyone who saw it, I was deeply concerned about the footage from Clapham Common on Saturday night," he said, referring to the south London park where the protest took place.
London police chief Cressida Dick, who is facing calls to resign, told reporters her officers had been put in a "really invidious position".
"They moved to try to explain to people, to engage with people, to get people to disperse from this unlawful gathering and many, many, many people did. Unfortunately, a small minority did not," she said.
'Public awakening'
Helen Ball, another senior officer, said the force was duty-bound to keep people safe.
"Hundreds of people were packed tightly together, posing a very real risk of easily transmitting COVID-19," she said.
But the main opposition Labour party leader Keir Starmer, a former public prosecutor, called the scenes "deeply disturbing".
Four arrests were made for public order offences and breaches of coronavirus regulations, the force said.
Ms Everard's disappearance, as she walked home on the evening of 3 March, has provoked a huge outpouring of grief and dismay in Britain at the failure of police and wider society to tackle violence against women.
Mourners once again gathered in Clapham on Sunday to pay their respects and call for change.
Floral tributes and candles placed at the bandstand on Clapham Common, London, on 15 March, 2021. Source: AP
"I felt compelled to come here today because it feels like all the women in my life have been really, really affected by Sarah's death," Isabel, 34, told AFP.
"I feel like it's a more conscious public awakening."
But one of Ms Everard's friends on Sunday warned that her death had become "hijacked".
"I think my friend would have been unsettled at how her death has been politicised," Helena Edwards wrote in online magazine Spiked.
If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, you can call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit .
