The shocking resignation of MetPolice Commissioner Cressida Dick came after months of pressure over a series of scandals that ended with revelations that officers at Charing Cross police station had been caught joking about raping women and killing black children. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Police Federation, which represents more than 31,000 officers in the capital, has declared it has "no faith" in London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
Ken Marsh, chairman of the federation said, "We have let the Mayor's office know in no uncertain terms how our brave and diligent colleagues deserve better. The atmosphere amongst Metropolitan Police officers is horrendous - it's rock bottom.
"Officers in London feel saddened and angry that Commissioner Cressida Dick has been pushed out in the way she has. She was reforming. She was changing. The culture is changing. We are deeply disappointed with the actions of the Mayor."
A spokeswoman for the Mayor of London said: "It is the mayor's job to stand up for Londoners and hold the police to account on their behalf, as well to support the police in bearing down on crime.
"With trust in the police among Londoners shattered following a series of devastating scandals exposing evidence of racism, misogyny, homophobia, harassment and discrimination in the Met, it was the mayor's view that a change of leadership was the only way to address this crisis in trust.
"The mayor has always made clear that there are thousands of incredibly brave and decent police officers at the Met, who we owe a huge debt of gratitude.
"But the series of scandals seen in recent years has tarnished the reputation of the police, which is so crucial to policing by consent. Downplaying the scale of the change required is only going to hinder, not help, the vital process of restoring Londoners' trust in the Met."
Anil Kanti 'Neil' Basu, the Indian-origin British counter-terror cop, is likely to replace Dame Cressida Dick. Basu, 53, is currently the Assistant Commissioner (Specialist Operations) of the London Metropolitan Police. His father was a surgeon, who hailed from Kolkata and relocated to the UK in the 1960s, where he married his mother, a nurse of Welsh heritage. An economics graduate from Nottingham University, Mr Basu had joined the Met Police in 1992 and was elevated as head of counter-terrorism and specialist operations, before becoming director of the College of Policing. He was awarded the Bengal Pride Award in 2018 (co-hosted by Asian Voice) for his role as counter-terrorism chief.
