Don’t walk home after dark, but don’t get in a taxi alone either. Don’t stop and talk to him, or him and make sure you carry your keys between your fingers... just in case. Don’t trust anyone, not even the police. If we can't trust the police, who can we trust?

Growing up, we’re taught the police are here to protect us, enforce safety and prevent crime- not to be the ones causing it. I think after this year and hearing the terrible, heart-breaking story of Sarah Everards death, most women have been left feeling more scared and unsafe than ever before. It was a certain shock to everyone who discovered that Everard was in fact falsely arrested, kidnapped and had her life taken by a police officer: Wayne Couzens. It's terrifying to think that we will never know just how many Wayne Couzens there are, hiding behind a uniform.

According to the data released under the Freedom of Information Act, more than 200 British police officers in 2020 were found to be guilty of crimes including drug possession, burglary and assault. It’s likely this number is a huge understatement and most of these crimes go unrecognised and unaccounted for.

Not only is it unfair and inconvenient for women to live in constant fear of their safety and life being on the line, but it well and truly puts them at a disadvantage in every aspect of life. Education, work, social life- everything has a negative knock-on effect.

Kira Robinson, a second year A level student at Colchester Sixth Form told us she’d always viewed the police force as a sense of “safety and protection” but now doesn’t know whether she’d feel comfortable in the presence of a male police officer, believed to be something a lot of women and girls can now sadly agree on.

“I feel as if in some professions, a uniform and a qualification give the wrong people the right to completely abuse power. It’s terrifying that these people manage to attain these jobs. I want to feel safe in the place I grew up and now I just don’t. Its restrictive for me and all my friends and I assume most women, it just isn't fair.”

Robinson is just one of the many young women speaking out about the immense negative impact harassment and sexism play on their day to day lives. It’s a common misconception that cat calling, and harassment are a form of flattery. Men harass and make women feel unsafe then get away with it by saying it was a “compliment” and she shouldn’t be so “rude”. The police and other male authorative figures manage to get away with this by wrongly hiding behind their authority and completely abusing their power.

Don’t get me wrong, in the same way it is not all men, it's not all police officers or authorative figures either. Of course. But the truth is, it is far too many, and it needs to stop.