Dame Cressida Dick is leaving her role as head of the Met Police with the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan saying it’s clear “the only way to start to deliver the scale of the change required is to have new leadership right at the top”.
Sadiq Khan put the Met Police Commissioner “on notice” last week after the police watchdog published messages sent by officers that used sexist, racist and homophobic language.
He said his entire trust in the Met hinged on her coming up with a robust plan for dealing with the behaviour.
But he said he was “not satisfied” with the commissioner’s response and in a statement on Thursday evening said: “On being informed of this, Dame Cressida Dick has said she will be standing aside.
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Dame Cressida Dick and London Mayor Sadiq Khan
“It’s clear that the only way to start to deliver the scale of the change required is to have new leadership right at the top of the Metropolitan Police.”
Dame Cressida said she felt she had “no choice” but it was “with great sadness” she was stepping down.
“It is clear that the mayor no longer has sufficient confidence in my leadership to continue,” she said.
“He has left me no choice but to step aside as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.”
She added: “The murder of Sarah Everard and many other awful cases recently have, I know, damaged confidence in this fantastic police service.”
Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said he believed Dame Cressida had been treated in a “wholly unfair” way and and that she was “much loved across the rank and file of the Metropolitan Police Service”.
Controversies under Dame Cressida Dick’s leadership
- In 2005, she was the officer in charge of the flawed operation which lead to the death of a young Brazilian man, Jean Charles de Menezes. He was mistaken as a suicide bomber and shot dead by armed police while on the London Underground.
- The force came under fire in March 2021, following the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer. Wayne Couzens, who was later sentenced to a whole life order, used his position as an officer to lure the marketing officer to her death. An investigation uncovered concerns had been raised about Couzens, nicknamed
- In June 2021, a long-awaited report into the axe murder of a private detective accused the force of
- In December 2021, an inquest into the four victims of serial-killer Stephen Port found Met Police mistakes.
- In February 2022, the police watchdog condemned Scotland Yard officers for bad behaviours that included racism, misogyny, harassment and offensive social media messages. The investigation was initially launched following a complaint an officer had sex with a drunk person in a police station, but later uncovered so much more.
- The force has also been accused of acting too late when investigating alleged lockdown breaking parties held at No 10 Downing Street and across Whitehall.
He said: “We feel the way she has been treated is wholly unfair and we did believe that she was the person who could take us through this and bring us out the other side.”
It has been agreed Dame Cressida will continue to serve for a short period to enable an orderly handover.
Following the announcement, Prime Minister Boris Johnson thanked her for “protecting the public and making our streets safer”.
He added: “Dame Cressida has served her country with great dedication and distinction over many decades.”
Dame Cressida has served her country with great dedication and distinction over many decades. I thank her for her role protecting the public and making our streets safer.
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) February 10, 2022
Home Secretary Priti Patel, who told a committee of MPs a “failure of leadership” had resulted in the offensive messages being exchanged by a group of police officers at Charing Cross station, paid tribute to the outgoing commissioner.
She said: “She would be the first to say that she has held the role during challenging times; yet for nearly five years she has undertaken her duties with a steadfast dedication to protecting our capital city and its people, including during the unprecedented period of the pandemic.”
London mayor to work with Home Secretary on new appointment
Mr Khan said he would begin working with Ms Patel on the appointment of a new commissioner so that “we can move quickly to restore trust in the capital’s police service while keeping London safe”.
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Home Secretary Priti Patel
Her resignation comes following a series of scandals including the murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Couzens, and the exchange of racist, misogynist and homophobic messages by officers at Charing Cross Police Station.
Earlier on Thursday, when asked by the BBC if she should step down, she said: “I have absolutely no intention of going and I believe that I am and have been, actually for the last five years, leading a real transformation in the Met.”
In her full statement she said serving the people of London had been “the greatest honour and privilege of my life”.
https://news.sky.com/story/met-police-commissioner-dame-cressida-dick-is-leaving-her-job-sky-news-understands-12538528
