Furious outgoing Army sergeant major, WO1 Paul Carney, says NCOs must do more to weed out “appalling” behaviour towards women.
Speaking in the wake of Gnr Beck’s inquest, the top soldier said the revelations had “honestly made my skin crawl”.
He added he was “shocked that we have still not done enough to make people feel safe”. And he demanded NCOs – from lance corporals to senior warrant officers – step up to tackle this.
“I know we’ve made progress but we haven’t moved fast enough. I want everyone to double down on their efforts to let soldiers know they’re there for them, and help victims understand where to report things and – importantly – that they’ll be looked after.
“COs have a lot to do – the nature of the role means they can’t be everywhere – so I want people to be visible in places such as accommodation blocks, cookhouses and vehicle parks.”
Revealing how someone close to him had received unwanted attention during her time serving, he said: “She went through the experience of not being heard – and reading the stories from those who have come forward during the inquest has been triggering for her.
“The situation must change – if I can’t trust leaders to look after troops in peacetime, how are they going to do it at war?”
