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Cressida Dick appointed first female Met police commissioner Cressida Dick appointed first female Met police commissioner
(about 1 hour later)
Cressida Dick will be the next commissioner of the Metropolitan police, it has been announced.Cressida Dick will be the next commissioner of the Metropolitan police, it has been announced.
It will be the first time in the history of the Met that it has been led by a woman. Dick, 56, now works at the Foreign Office and was formerly the Met’s head of counter-terrorism. She will be the first woman to lead the Met. Dick, 56, now works at the Foreign Office and was formerly the Met’s head of counter-terrorism.
The choice was made on Wednesday after candidates who had applied for the role of Britain’s top police officer were interviewed by a panel that included the home secretary, Amber Rudd, and London’s Labour mayor, Sadiq Khan.The choice was made on Wednesday after candidates who had applied for the role of Britain’s top police officer were interviewed by a panel that included the home secretary, Amber Rudd, and London’s Labour mayor, Sadiq Khan.
The home secretary made the final decision but under the law had to take into account the views of the London mayor. The home secretary made the final decision but by law had to take into account the views of the London mayor.
Dick said she was “thrilled and humbled” by her appointment, which shattered a glass ceiling as old as the Met itself. She said: This is a great responsibility and an amazing opportunity. I’m looking forward immensely to protecting and serving the people of London and working again with the fabulous women and men of the Met. Thank you so much to everyone who has taught me and supported me along the way.” Dick said she was “thrilled and humbled” by her appointment, which shattered a glass ceiling as old as the Met itself. She said: “This is a great responsibility and an amazing opportunity. I’m looking forward immensely to protecting and serving the people of London and working again with the fabulous women and men of the Met. Thank you so much to everyone who has taught me and supported me along the way.”
Dick’s rise to the top of policing comes despite the controversy around her role in the 2005 operation in which an innocent man, Jean Charles de Menezes, was shot dead by police who mistook him for a suicide bomber. A jury at a criminal trial in 2007 exonerated her of any personal blame, but some thought her role in the disaster could block her becoming leader of the Met. Dick’s rise to the top of policing comes despite the controversy around her role in the 2005 operation in which an innocent man, Jean Charles de Menezes, was shot dead by police who mistook him for a suicide bomber. A jury at a criminal trial in 2007 exonerated her of any personal blame, but some thought her role in the debacle could block her becoming leader of the Met.
The Met is Britain’s biggest British force, consuming about a quarter of spending on policing in England and Wales. It was founded in 1829 and as well as covering London it has national functions including counter-terrorism and diplomatic and VIP protection. A statement issued on Wednesday on behalf of the De Menezes family by his cousin Patricia Armani said: “We have serious concerns about the appointment … At the helm of the police on that fateful day when Jean was killed was Cressida Dick. The message of today’s appointment is that police officers can act with impunity.”
The new commissioner replaces Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the first Met commissioner since 2005 to complete a full five-year term in office. Previous to him, Sir Ian Blair and Sir Paul Stephenson had both resigned mid-term after being dogged by controversy. The Met is Britain’s biggest force, accounting for about a quarter of spending on policing in England and Wales. It was founded in 1829 and as well as covering London it has national functions including counter-terrorism, diplomatic and VIP protection.
The new commissioner replaces Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, the first Met commissioner since 2005 to complete a full five-year term in office. Before him, Sir Ian Blair and Sir Paul Stephenson had both resigned mid-term after being dogged by controversy.
The new commissioner faces a tightening financial climate, some crime types rising and the challenge of keeping the capital safe from a severe and enduring threat.The new commissioner faces a tightening financial climate, some crime types rising and the challenge of keeping the capital safe from a severe and enduring threat.
Rudd said: “Cressida Dick is an exceptional leader, and has a clear vision for the future of the Metropolitan police and an understanding of the diverse range of communities it serves. I am delighted Her Majesty has agreed my recommendation after a rigorous recruitment process which highlighted the quality of senior policing in this country. Dick was born, raised and schooled in Oxford, and went on to university there, at Balliol College. For a short time she worked at an accountancy firm before joining the Met in 1983 as a constable in the London’s West End.
“She now takes on one of the most demanding, high-profile and important jobs in UK policing, against the backdrop of a heightened terror alert and evolving threats from fraud and cybercrime. The challenges ahead include protecting the most vulnerable, including victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence. Cressida’s skills and insight will ensure the Metropolitan police adapt to the changing patterns of crime in the 21st century and continue to keep communities safe across London and the UK. In 1995 she transferred to the Thames Valley force where she continued her rise through the ranks, returning to Scotland Yard in 2001 with a masters degree in criminology.
“Cressida is absolutely the right choice to lead the Metropolitan police as this government continues its work to reform the police, and I look forward to working with her to make a real difference to policing in the capital.” Her reputation as a reformer was forged in the Met’s diversity directorate, formed after the Stephen Lawrence inquiry had damned the force as institutionally racist. She became known as a brilliant operational leader, cool under the most extreme pressure, when she led Operation Trident, the unit policing gun crime, particularly within the black community.
Khan said: “Cressida Dick will be the first female commissioner of the Met in its 187-year history, and the most powerful police officer in the land. She has already had a long and distinguished career, and her experience and ability has shone throughout this process. She became an assistant commissioner in 2009, and after two years with the Met embroiled in scandal, she was promoted to one of the top roles in policing, as head of counter-terrorism.
Friends of hers said Dick loved that job, but her relationship with the Met commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe became strained. She was moved out of the role, in a thinly veiled slapdown, and then started looking to leave the Met.
She applied to lead the Police Service of Northern Ireland, but was unsuccessful, and then she landed a director general role at the Foreign Office, first as a secondment, before she formally left the Met. Now as commissioner she will have to be sworn in again as a police officer, taking the oath to the Queen and vowing to uphold the law without fear or favour.
Rudd said: “Cressida Dick is an exceptional leader, and has a clear vision for the future of the Metropolitan police and an understanding of the diverse range of communities it serves … my recommendation [follows] a rigorous recruitment process which highlighted the quality of senior policing in this country.
“She now takes on one of the most demanding, high-profile and important jobs in UK policing, against the backdrop of a heightened terror alert and evolving threats from fraud and cybercrime. The challenges ahead include protecting the most vulnerable, including victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence.
“Cressida’s skills and insight will ensure the Metropolitan police adapt to the changing patterns of crime in the 21st century and continue to keep communities safe across London and the UK.
Rudd added: “Cressida is absolutely the right choice to lead the Metropolitan police as this government continues its work to reform the police, and I look forward to working with her to make a real difference to policing in the capital.”
Sadiq Khan said: “Cressida Dick will be the first female commissioner of the Met in its 187-year history, and the most powerful police officer in the land. She has already had a long and distinguished career, and her experience and ability has shone throughout this process.
“This is a historic day for London and a proud day for me as mayor. The Metropolitan police do an incredible job, working hard with enormous dedication every single day to keep Londoners safe, so for me it was absolutely essential that we found the best possible person to take the Met forward over the coming years and I am confident that we have succeeded.”“This is a historic day for London and a proud day for me as mayor. The Metropolitan police do an incredible job, working hard with enormous dedication every single day to keep Londoners safe, so for me it was absolutely essential that we found the best possible person to take the Met forward over the coming years and I am confident that we have succeeded.”
Dick’s appointment means five of the top posts in the criminal justice system in England and Wales are now held by women. Lynne Owens is director general of the National Crime Agency, seen as a rival for prestige with the Met. Owens sat on the first interview panel for the Met commissioner’s job and would herself have been seen as favourite, but instead she had earlier opted for the top job at the NCA. Dick’s appointment means five of the top posts in the criminal justice system in England and Wales are now held by women. Lynne Owens is director general of the National Crime Agency, seen as a rival to the Met for prestige. Owens sat on the first interview panel for the Met commissioner’s job and would herself have been seen as favourite, but instead she had earlier opted for the top job at the NCA.
The other four women leading the justice system are Alison Saunders at the Crown Prosecution Service, Rudd, and Thornton, beaten by Dick for the commissioner’s post, who is chair of the National Police Chiefs Council. The other four women leading the justice system are Alison Saunders at the Crown Prosecution Service, Rudd, and Sara Thornton, who is chair of the National Police Chiefs Council, who was beaten by Dick for the commissioner’s post.
The appointment is by royal warrant and is usually for a five-year term, which can be extended.The appointment is by royal warrant and is usually for a five-year term, which can be extended.
Dick was chosen from a field of candidates including Mark Rowley, a Met assistant commissioner who leads on counter-terrorism across British policing, and ex-Met veteran Stephen Kavanagh, chief constable of Essex police. Dick was chosen from a field of candidates including Mark Rowley, a Met assistant commissioner who leads on counter-terrorism across British policing, and an ex-Met veteran Stephen Kavanagh, chief constable of Essex police.