What a U-turn. Despite insisting this morning that she had ‘no intention’ of quitting as Metropolitan Police chief, Cressida Dick has this evening been forced out of her role running Britain’s biggest force. Sadiq Khan was the decisive factor which prompted this change in Dick’s fortunes after the London mayor said he no longer had confidence in her leadership. In a statement Khan told the press:
Last week, I made clear to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner the scale of the change I believe is urgently required to rebuild the trust and confidence of Londoners in the Met and to root out the racism, sexism, homophobia, bullying, discrimination and misogyny that still exists. I am not satisfied with the Commissioner’s response. On being informed of this, Dame Cressida Dick has said she will be standing aside. 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.
In a statement, Dick said that:
Undertaking this role as a servant of the people of London and the UK has been the greatest honour and privilege of my life.
The shock announcement came just 24 hours after the mayor announced that the Met chief had ‘days’ to come up with a plan to restore confidence in the police; a timeline that appears to have subsequently contracted dramatically. Dick of course was lambasted by politicians across the spectrum last month for her mishandling of the inquiry into the No. 10 parties during lockdown; by waiting until the last minute to launch a criminal investigation she managed to kibosh Sue Gray’s inquiry and appear ineffectual and indecisive throughout.
The controversy was just the latest in a string of incidents that have plagued the scandal-ridden Met. The force has had to apologise for numerous incidents of officer misconduct in recent months, ranging from Sarah Everard’s murder and the mishandling of the Stephen Port case to leaked messages joking about rape and assault. Just seven hours ago Dick was telling the BBC that: ‘I have absolutely no intention of going and I believe that I am – and actually have been for the last five years – leading a real transformation in the Met.’
Now though she’s out and there’s a vacancy for the top role in British policing. Who next to sip from the poisoned chalice?
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