Image source, REUTERS

We are bringing an end to our live coverage now, but here's a reminder of the day's events:

• Hundreds of people have attended a vigil in central London following the death of Sarah Everard - despite the home secretary warning people not to attend gatherings due to Covid lockdown rules
• Crowds moved from Parliament Square to block Westminster Bridge as police moved in and asked people to go home
• Priti Patel says she is "listening to women and girls" following criticism of police handling of a vigil in memory of Ms Everard on London's Clapham Common at the weekend, where some women were handcuffed and arrested
• The home secretary has commissioned a review into the policing of the event
• Officers investigating the death of Ms Everard have cordoned off an area in the town of Sandwich in Kent
• The police watchdog says it is investigating how murder suspect Wayne Couzens sustained serious injuries while in custody
• The Independent Office for Police Conduct is also investigating an allegation that a cordon officer shared an "inappropriate graphic" with colleagues
• And the PM has chaired a meeting of the government's crime and justice taskforce to discuss ways to protect women and announced extra funding for street lighting and CCTV

Today's updates were brought to you by Jennifer Meierhans, Julian Joyce, Kate Whannel, James Clarke and Alice Evans. Thanks for joining us.

Image source, Getty Images

The prime minister has announced measures to make the streets safer for women, after a meeting of the Criminal Justice Taskforce.

Boris Johnson says he is doubling the Safer Streets fund to £45m.

The money will be spent on local projects to improve lighting and CCTV in parks and alleyways, and routes from bars, restaurants and nightclubs.

Pilots of so-called Project Vigilant will be rolled out across the country - where uniformed and undercover officers will work to identify predatory and suspicious offenders around clubs and bars at night.

Johnson says: “The horrific case of Sarah Everard has unleashed a wave of feeling about women not feeling safe at night.

“We must do everything we can to ensure our streets are safe, and we are bringing in landmark legislation to toughen sentences and put more police on the streets.

“Ultimately, we must drive out violence against women and girls and make every part of the criminal justice system work to better protect and defend them.”

The government also pledged £11m for more independent sexual violence advisors to support victims through the criminal justice process.

We have been hearing about searches taking place in Sandwich, Kent, today as part of the investigation into the death of Sarah Everard.

The video above (which has no sound) shows an aerial view of where those searches have been happening.

Dominic Casciani
Home Affairs Correspondent

Image source, Reuters

Police took a hands-off approach at the main demonstration in Parliament Square earlier this evening.

After that broke up, a few hundred protesters moved off and started randomly following a route through Westminster towards London's West End.

At first they tried to sit down and occupy roads - including outside Scotland Yard - but every time they stopped, they were told by police they needed to move on because of Covid regulations.

And so what began as a vigil in Parliament Square became a somewhat chaotic parade through Theatreland and the quiet, locked-down London streets.

Eventually teams of police officers began trying to pick off stragglers, instructing them to go home in line with the lockdown rules - or face fines. Some left, some appeared to get tickets.

Now, those who are still here - mainly young people - have gone back to Westminster Bridge, disrupting the traffic through Whitehall and Parliament Square.

They want to make their voices heard against these proposed police powers to curtail demonstrations. But the way they are acting tonight is exactly the type of disruption that may in future be targeted.

Image source, Google

Three people have been fined for breaching Covid rules at a vigil in Liverpool in memory of Sarah Everard.

Merseyside Police says up to 40 people held a "peaceful" socially-distanced minute's silence outside St Luke's Church on Saturday evening.

But three people were fined for refusing to socially distance at a second event staged afterwards.

Deputy Chief Constable Serena Kennedy says the force "completely understands" people want to hold an event in Ms Everard's memory "whilst at the same time recognising the dangers faced by women".

However, she added: "We must all do what we can to prevent the spread of [coronavirus] and that includes not meeting in large groups."

Sussex Police has defended its response at a vigil held to remember Sarah Everard in Brighton.

More than 150 people gathered in Valley Gardens on Saturday.

One man was arrested, eight people were fined and many attendees criticised officers' handling of the unofficial event.

Attendee Francesca Thornton, from Brighton, accused the police of an "unjustified use of force" after video footage showed officers removing a woman from the vigil and holding onto her arms.

Assistant Chief Constable Lisa Bell says officers have "an obligation to deal with things robustly when people disregard the law".

The force says it will review body-worn footage from the evening to see if there are any lessons to learn.

Police must respond with "proportionate" action under new protest laws, the home secretary has told MPs debating the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

Priti Patel says the government will "always defend" the right to protest peacefully.

"But there is a balance to be struck between the rights of the protester and the rights of individuals to go about their daily lives," she says.

"This bill will give police the powers to take a more proactive approach in tackling dangerous and disruptive protest," she says.

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds told the Commons he wanted to talk about the "distressing scenes we saw at Clapham" on Saturday, when police clashed with people attending a vigil for Sarah Everard.

He says: "I share the anger that there is about the policing of this - deep and profound lessons need to be learned and there must be change.

"People should have been able to mark this moment peacefully and safely. We need to find a way for people to show solidarity safely and in a Covid-secure way."

He says: "The scenes from Saturday should be a red warning signal to this House that rushing through ill-judged, ill-thought out restrictions on the right to protest would be a profound mistake that would have long-lasting consequences and do great damage to our democracy."

• What is the bill and how will it change protests?

Police have moved in on protesters in central London, who have been campaigning following the death of Sarah Everard.

Hundreds of protesters have marched from Parliament Square and through the Soho area, chanting and waving banners. A large police presence has followed the demonstrators, with police vans and motorbikes.

A tweet from the Met Police a few minutes ago urged the crowds to leave "immediately", warning that "enforcement activity" would take place shortly.

And in the past few minutes, protesters have been heard urging others to run and "keep moving".

BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, PA Media

BBC Radio 5 Live heard earlier from an anonymous listener who says police described her experience of sexual abuse as a teenager as "experimentation".

Talking to Naga Munchetty, she said: "I want justice but I know I’ll never get that.

"The women who stood up and went to the vigil and protested, I’m just so thankful to them, they’ve made people have the conversation."

Listen to the interview here, external.

Image source, Getty Images

TV presenter Davina McCall has sought to "clarify" comments about the Sarah Everard case that sparked a backlash.

As we've been reporting, the disappearance of the 33-year-old as she walked home on 3 March prompted many women to discuss their public safety concerns on social media.

In response, McCall tweeted on Friday, external that the "fear-mongering" and "calling all men out" around the "rare" case could damage male mental health.

Yesterday evening she said there had been a "misinterpretation" of her views.

"Any man that's violent [or] coercive towards a woman is abhorrent," she wrote.

Read the full story here.

BBC Radio 5 Live

A retired police officer has told BBC Radio 5 Live Saturday's vigil for Sarah Everard should have been facilitated and allowed to go ahead.

Ch Supt Owen West was a public order protest specialist for West Yorkshire Police.

"It was was an opportunity, not a threat, for the police to engage, to reassure, and to learn from the young women there, in relation to their lived experience," he says.

He says too often the police see protest crowds as potentially inherently dangerous and violent.

The government should think about police resources, he says, and consider the "values, principles and ethics" they want them to uphold.

"It's not just a numbers game," he says. "It's not so much the quantity, it's the quality, it's the type of responses, it's the type of skills that are invested in."

Listen to the interview here, external or listen to 5 Live on the free BBC Sounds app.

Jennifer Scott
BBC News

Image source, Reuters

After the killing of Sarah Everard, the issue of violence against women and girls is at the forefront of many minds in Westminster.

Figures from across the political spectrum are putting forward proposals of how to tackle the ongoing blight on our society, but one suggestion in particular has re-emerged in light of the tragic events: To make misogyny - prejudice against women - a hate crime.

A crime is considered a hate crime if it is proven that the victim was targeted because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity.

When a crime falls into one of the above categories, judges in England and Wales have enhanced sentencing powers and can increase the punishment as a result.

Campaigners say sex and gender should be added to the list, arguing misogyny is one of the "root causes" of violence against women.

They also believe the addition would help to provide "critical data on the link between hostility to women and the abuse and harassment women experience".

Read the full story here.

Emma Glasbey
Journalist, BBC Look North

It is not just in central London that crowds have been gathering this evening - hundreds of people have attended a protest in Leeds against the way the Metropolitan Police handled the vigil for Sarah Everard at the weekend.

The event in Millennium Square, at which organisers Reclaim the Night Leeds have asked attendees to wear masks and socially distance, is also to protest over the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill.

In a statement, West Yorkshire Police says: "We understand the genuine safety concerns women have, concerns which have been amplified following the recent tragic death of Sarah Everard.

"Women should always feel safe to walk the streets of West Yorkshire and we remain committed to making the county a safe place to live and work for everyone.

"It is entirely normal the public wish to express their solidarity and concern in these circumstances."

However, the statement adds that "the threat from coronavirus remains and any large gathering is a real risk to individuals' health".

"We would ask everyone to consider the current risk to their own health and think about attending public events at a later date, when it is both safe and legal to do so."

Image source, PA Media

A probationary Metropolitan Police officer involved in the Sarah Everard search operation in Kent has been removed from their duties for allegedly sharing an "inappropriate graphic" with colleagues.

The force says a graphic was shared via social media on Friday and was reported by a number of officers "who were concerned by its content".

In a statement, the Met says: "The PC had been deployed as a cordon officer supporting the search operation in Kent in relation to the murder of Sarah Everard.

"The officer has been removed from these duties and placed in a non-public facing role while inquiries continue.

"The graphic does not contain photographic images, no images of Sarah, nor any other material obtained from or related to the investigation into Sarah's murder."

Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave says: "The MPS expects its officers to behave professionally at all times and this includes how they use social media. I take allegations that any officer or officers have failed to observe these standards very seriously and have referred this matter to the Independent Office for Police Conduct."

The force says Sarah Everard's family have been made aware of the incident.

Image source, Georgina

A woman who was at the vigil for Sarah Everard in Clapham Common on Saturday says she was shocked by the clashes with police.

Georgina, 27, who lives locally, says: "It was disappointing, shocking, really, because it was something so solemn and so lovely.

"There were even pockets of people kind of praying or taking a moment's silence - and then all of a sudden it just seemed like mayhem broke out."

The turning point in police tactics appears to have been the start of speeches from the bandstand, at about 18:00 GMT.

People pressed forwards to hear and soon afterwards, officers tried to break up that part of the gathering and remove people they believed were contributing to the crowding.

• What went wrong at the Clapham vigil?

Georgina says she accepts police officers are "just doing their job" but that the problem therefore needs solving "from the top"

"It needs to be systematic change," she says.

Georgina adds that on the evening of the vigil, she was "shocked" to see a man indecently exposing himself in the Clapham area. She has since given a police statement about the incident but says the officers she flagged it to at the time "did nothing on the night to investigate".

You can read more about her experiences here.

Image source, PA Media

A large number of protesters have blocked off traffic on Westminster Bridge to demonstrate after the death of Sarah Everard.

Hundreds of Reclaim These Streets campaigners chanted and held banners while police officers halted oncoming cars.

They then moved outside nearby Scotland Yard where they chanted "shame on you" and "our streets".

Protesters sat down on the road and shouted "we will not be silenced" as police officers watched on.

Dominic Casciani
Home and Legal Correspondent

The Parliament Square demo has broken up - with some heading to Westminster Bridge and others leaving the scene.

Before she went, university student Rebecca told me she wanted the government to let her arm herself - not to start a revolution, but to revolutionise her own feeling of safety.

"I think it's hugely important that what comes out of this entire incident is not just some kind of keyboard-warrior rage.

"A great place to start? Allow women to carry a firearm, namely pepper spray. On nights out we carry hairspray and a rape alarm because we don't feel safe."

Sarah Everard's disappearance and death in south London has led to a national conversation about violence by men against women, with many women speaking out about their fears and personal experiences.

Below are some charts and graphs to visualise violent crimes against women.

See more here.

Image source, Reuters

Sarah Everard's death has sparked a moment for society to "reflect" on how to reduce male violence, abuse and harassment, the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council says.

Speaking after police chiefs from across the country met to discuss male violence against women, Martin Hewitt says his organisation wants to help contribute to a "legacy of meaningful change" following Ms Everard's "truly tragic" death.

He says one of the key issues for policing is that too few victims see their cases go to court - and for those that do, the experience is "long and difficult".

"This has a serious impact on their confidence in the police and in the criminal justice system and means too many perpetrators get away with their crimes," he says.

Hewitt says his council is waiting to hear the outcome of the government's review into why the number of rape prosecutions is falling.

The NPCC is also carefully considering "the role police could play in responding to street harassment", he says, adding that calls for misogyny to be treated as a hate crime should be assessed.

The Law Commission is due to make final recommendations on this issue in the autumn.

• Misogyny: Why is it not a hate crime?
• Challenge to rape prosecution changes dismissed

Image source, PA Wire

A little earlier Home Secretary Priti Patel urged people not to attend protests during the coronavirus pandemic - following the clashes between police and women at a vigil for Sarah Everard at the weekend.

"The right to protest is the cornerstone of our democracy but the government's duty is to prevent more lives being lost during this pandemic," she told MPs.

Hundreds of people have gathered in central London anyway - following similar protests elsewhere in the country.

Image source, PA Wire

Image source, PA Wire

Image source, REUTERS