The parents of a teenager murdered after a series of police failings have attacked the disciplinary proceedings against the officers involved as “lenient beyond belief”.
Georgia Williams, 17, was strangled by Jamie Reynolds, despite the fact he had been on the police radar following a previous serious assault on a teenage girl.
West Mercia police apologised after a serious case review published last month was highly critical of the force’s actions.
But despite misconduct proceedings being launched, none of the officers involved are to lose their jobs.
One officer and a member of police staff have received written warnings, while two officers are to be given “management advice”.
But Georgia’s parents, Steve Williams, a former West Mercia detective and his wife, Lynette, have blasted the response as completely inadequate and said the system had not taken into account the tragic consequences of her murder.
Commenting on the misconduct proceedings they said: “We have known for a long time that the consequences for these officers would by no means ‘fit the crime’.”
"What has happened is that the officers concerned have been shown to be incompetent at all ranks.
"We take this as a moral victory on behalf of Georgia, because that is what this was all about.
"It was also about a group of officers who all came together in numbers and all make the wrong decisions."
They added: "Georgia died because the suspect had more rights than the victims."
Her parents also "likened the misconduct meeting to a group of junior school children being told off by the headmaster" and called on the system to be overhauled.
Georgia's parents added: “We have witnessed a system that is lenient beyond belief - that does not take into account the tragic consequences of Georgia's murder, even though it is agreed by several different authorities that the officers' actions, or lack of actions, does have a link to Georgia's murder."
The couple also claimed officers had passed the blame over their responsibilities.
They said: "What we haven't witnessed in any one of these officers is the moral steel needed to put their shoulders back and say I did wrong. We heard excuses but no real reasons.
"The system does not allow for inquisitive questioning, excuses are what you get and nothing else.
"We likened the misconduct meeting to a group of junior school children being told off by the headmaster.
"That is the system and it will remain so until someone with old-fashioned values, ethics, moral standards and a backbone stands up and changes things.
"We live in a blameless society, which if it continues will be to the detriment of all that tolerate it."
They added: "It's a very expensive lesson when victims pay with their lives.
"It is about time the wrong-doers paid a higher price for their incompetence but, it seems throughout all this, that the people in charge are prepared to accept low standards."
He also sexually assaulted her after her death before dumping her body in woodland.
He was later convicted of murder and sentence to a whole life term.
But it subsequently emerged that in 2008 he had carried out a similar attack on a schoolgirl who had escaped and reported him to the police.
However he was only issued with a warning and was offered counselling.
In 2011 he rammed a colleagues car when she rejected his advances but the police failed to make any link to the 2008 attack.
West Mercia Chief Constable David Shaw said: “These outcomes are the culmination of a meticulous investigation by Devon and Cornwall Police, review by the Independent Police Complaints Commission and now these misconduct procedures.
“I have made a heartfelt apology to Georgia's parents and to victims of Jamie Reynolds for the errors that West Mercia Police made."
He added: “As a police service we have been deeply shaken by Georgia's murder and it is vitally important that we take what has been learnt and reinforce it across the whole organisation.”