Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick resigns
The Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick decided she had "no choice" but to step down from her role following comments made by the Mayor of London that he "no longer has sufficient confidence in my leadership to continue".
Above:
Commissioner Cressida Dick out on patrol.
Courtesy Metropolitan Police
The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan had made the comments after the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) last week published wide ranging recommendations made to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to change policing practice.
In a statement Commissioner Cressida Dick said: "It is with huge sadness that following contact with the Mayor of London today, it is clear that the Mayor no longer has sufficient confidence in my leadership to continue. He has left me no choice but to step aside as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.
"At his request, I have agreed to stay on for a short period to ensure the stability of the Met and its leadership while arrangements are made for a transition to a new Commissioner.
"Undertaking this role as a servant of the people of London and the UK has been the greatest honour and privilege of my life."
She added: "I leave a Met that is growing and will soon record the largest ever number of officers. London is becoming safer. These great people include more women than ever in every rank and role and an increasing number from a broad range of ethnic backgrounds that truly reflect the diversity of London.
"This Met is looking to the future and is ready for threats to come. Officers are better equipped and better informed as we take advantage of mobile and other technologies and forensic capabilities and introduce better uniform and safety equipment.
"We are delivering enormous transformational change, improving our systems and trialling innovative and state-of-the-art technology including live facial recognition and faster ways to capture and examine digital information.
"Our counter terrorism capability is world leading. Last year I was extremely proud to see the first phase of the Counter Terrorism Operations Centre bringing all agencies together in one place as we adapt to the evolving threat.
"This is the Met where every hour of every day our people perform heroic acts to protect the public. We are more accountable, more transparent and more open than ever – with deeper links to our communities."
The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, has said: "Yesterday I expressed my thanks to Dame Cressida Dick for her service as she announced her resignation as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.
"She was the first woman to hold the post and has exemplified the increasingly diverse nature of our police, demonstrating that all can aspire to hold leadership roles in policing in this country today.
"Today, as I prepare to begin the process of choosing her successor, I want to reassure Londoners and people across the country of my commitment to selecting the right leader for the largest police force in the country."