We are sick and tired of being told by those in power that tackling violence against women and girls is a priority, while women and girls continue to be failed by the very systems that are supposed to protect them.

The case of Simon Levy is yet another devastating reminder of what can happen when warning signs are missed, information is not properly acted upon, and agencies responsible for protecting the public fail to learn from previous mistakes.

This cannot continue to be treated as a series of isolated incidents.

For years, women have been told that lessons are being learned. We have heard commitments to tackling violence against women and girls, improving police responses, strengthening the criminal justice system and better protecting victims. Yet too often, the same failures emerge again and again.

By the time Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman were murdered by a stranger in a London park, Levy had reportedly already been offending for years. By the time Sarah Everard was murdered by a serving Metropolitan Police officer, Levy had been offending for even longer. His first conviction came in 2021, yet further serious offences followed.

The question we have to ask is simple: when will enough be enough?

Women should not have to wait for another tragedy before institutions examine what went wrong. Nor should responsibility simply be passed between the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and probation services, with each failure treated as an individual mistake rather than part of a wider systemic problem.

The prosecution described Levy’s victims as vulnerable women, and told the court that Levy believed targeting women in these circumstances would make it more likely that he could get away with his crimes.

Vulnerability should never mean that a woman is less likely to receive justice or protection.

Women experiencing homelessness, addiction, mental ill health, exploitation, poverty or other forms of vulnerability are not less deserving of protection. In many circumstances, their vulnerability can place them at greater risk of violence and exploitation.

This is why Liberal Democrat Women are calling for real systemic change across policing, the CPS and probation services throughout the UK.

That must include:

• Better information-sharing between agencies, so that warning signs and patterns of offending are not missed.
• Robust and consistent risk assessment, particularly where there is a history of violence, sexual offending or predatory behaviour.
• Properly resourced specialist services capable of supporting victims and identifying patterns of abuse and exploitation.
• Effective supervision of offenders, with clear accountability when risk is not appropriately managed.
• Independent scrutiny and transparency when serious failures occur.
• Meaningful implementation of recommendations from reviews and investigations, with progress monitored rather than allowing reports to disappear into the system.

We also need to change the culture surrounding violence against women and girls.

Too often, the focus is placed on the behaviour, circumstances or perceived vulnerability of the victim rather than on the actions of the perpetrator and the responsibilities of the institutions involved.

We cannot keep telling women to change how they live their lives to stay safe while failing to change the systems that are supposed to protect them.

For the Liberal Democrats, tackling violence against women and girls must mean more than political statements following another tragedy. It must mean sustained investment, effective prevention, proper accountability and a criminal justice system that recognises the patterns of violence and exploitation that women face.

Women and girls deserve more than promises that lessons will be learned. They deserve to see those lessons translated into action.

As Liberal Democrat Women, we will continue to challenge institutional failures and push for the systemic changes needed to make women and girls safer.

In addition, we will be asking Marie Goldman MP to contact Satvir Kaur MP, Minister for Safeguarding, directly to raise our concerns. We want to ensure that the issues highlighted are escalated at ministerial level and receive the attention they urgently require.

The Government has repeatedly told women that tackling violence against women and girls is a priority.

Now it is time to prove it.

Enough is enough.

* Liberal Democrat Women is hte official organisation representing women in the Liberal Democrats