Cressida Dick has been appointed Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police - becoming the first woman ever to lead the force in its 188-year history. The 56-year-old, who retired from the Met as Assistant Commissioner three years ago, takes over from Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, who has retired after five and a half years in the post.
Ms Dick, who first joined the Met as a constable in 1983, beat three other shortlisted candidates, and was appointed after a round of interviews in front of the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd and London Mayor, Sadiq Khan.
A source told a national daily that she had been appointed, not because she was a woman, but because she was the best candidate, and the Mayor had been especially impressed with her qualities.
In a statement, Ms Dick said she was "thrilled and humbled" by the appointment. This appointment means that Britain’s top three policing positions – the Met Commissioner, the head of the National Crime Agency and the president of the National Police Chief’s Council – are now all held by women. In addition both the Home Secretary and Justice Secretary posts are held by women.
Controversy
Ms Dick, was the officer in charge of the flawed police operation which led to the death of Brazilian man Jean Charles de Menezes who was mistaken for a suicide bomber and shot dead in 2005 by armed police in London in a Tube carriage at Stockwell underground station. The de Menezes family has led a sustained campaign for justice in the wake of the shooting and also called for Ms Dick’s application for Commissioner to be blocked.
They told the Guardian newspaper this week: “We have always felt that those at the highest level, the commissioner and those in operational command, should be held responsible for the mistakes and for the misinformation and lies that were told by the police.
“We cannot be expected to accept that the most senior police officer in the country, a post that is expected to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, to command public confidence and ultimately be responsible for ensuring that no police officer acts with impunity, be filled by someone that is clearly tainted by her failure to live up to any of those requirements.”
Mayor supports Cressida Dick
Sadiq Khan insisted that the Metropolitan Police have learnt “significant lessons” from the 2005 shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes and reiterated his belief that Cressida Dick, named this week as the force’s new Commissioner, was “the best candidate” for the job.
The Mayor’s comments came after two prominent Green Party politicians questioned Ms Dick’s appointment by Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
In 2011 Dick became Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations, a role in which she was responsible for leading the fight against terrorism and extremism and for ensuring the security of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and the 2012 Olympic Games.
She also led the reinvestigation into the murder of Stephen Lawrence and the police response to Lee Rigby’s murder, and briefly served as the force’s acting Deputy Commissioner before leaving policing in 2015 to become a Director General at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Sadiq Khan’s office has dismissed Green Party's suggestions and a spokesperson told MayorWatch: “The Mayor’s heart goes out to the family of Jean Charles de Menezes. This was a tragic event in London’s history and no family should have to face a tragedy like this.”
However they insisted that Dick is “the best candidate to lead the Metropolitan police service and keep Londoners safe,” and said Khan, who was involved in selecting the new Commissioner, was “proud” of the choice he and the Home Secretary had made.
Peter Neyroud, a former chief Constable at Cambridge University also said, Ms Dick is a good choice for the job. She is a clear communicator, so is well-placed to explain the trade-offs involved in cutting services, reported The Economist. She used to run Trident, The Met Police's anti-gang unit, so has experience of dealing with violent crime. She was also once head of the force's counter-terror operations.
