The outgoing Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick was accused of failing to deal with sexism, homophobia, racism and corruption within her department. She is to remain the head of the Met for a short period of time to "ensure stability", but will soon have to hand over power to someone else.
The decision as to who that might be is up to Home Secretary, currently Priti Patel, but the website of the Met police notes that she is to appoint the commissioner “following consultation with the Mayor”.
Here is a quick look at people who could succeed Dick.
A general view of New Scotland Yard, the headquarters of the London Metropolitan Police Britain's for-most and largest police serviceFriday, Feb., 3, 2012
© AP Photo / Alastair Grant
Neil Basu, the assistant commissioner and former head of counter-terrorism, would become the first Met commissioner of Asian heritage should he be appointed. He is also considered to be a candidate to lead the National Crime Agency, as he enjoys popularity among police officers and is considered as capable. However, his chances might be undermined after backlash he faced over his criticism of Boris Johnson's racially insensitive comments in the past.
Martin Hewitt, the chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, has joined the Met after serving in the military, and is also one of the likely candidates for Dick's position. As noted by The Guardian, he happened to have spent a lot of time with the ministers during the pandemic, "which could be a plus or a minus."
Lucy D'Orsi has become the chief constable of the British Transport Police after being a senior officer at the Met. She led the police response to the Beaufort Park fire in 2006, and also was responsible for security during Chinese leader Xi Jinping's 2015 visit to the UK. If chosen to lead the Met, D'Orsi would become the second woman to assume the position.
Louisa Rolfe, the Met assistant commissioner, could be another person to become the second female commissioner of Scotland Yard. She is highly regarded within policing, and has been praised for being a specialist in tackling violence against women.
Simon Byrne, the chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and a former Met assistant commissioner, is seen as a possible "shock and awe" candidate, as it is being rumoured that he is feared by some in the rank and file and middle ranks.
Mark Rowley, a former head of counter-terrorism who left the Met in 2018 after a wave of terror attacks in 2017. During the times of Dick's tenure as commissioner, Rowley criticised the Met’s excessive reliance on stop and search. He is widely seen as a reformer.
Matt Jukes, who is an assistant Met Police commissioner working as head of counter-terrorism, was also the chief of South Wales police - unlike Dick, who had never led her own force before the Met.
Sir Stephen House is the current deputy commissioner of the Met Police, promoted to the position in 2018. He was the chief constable of Police Scotland in 2012, but faced criticism due to the criticism of his use of armed patrols and stop and search powers. Three years later, he resigned after the deaths of Lamara Bell and John Yuill, who laid undiscovered in a crashed car for three days despite public calls.
When Will the Successor Be Appointed?
The aforementioned "short period of time" for which Dick is set to remain in the Met was not specified in the official statements. After the home secretary and London's mayor determine their candidate, the Queen will be asked for her approval.
The prime minister is believed to have no formal role in appointing the Met commissioner, but a call for Boris Johnson to "publicly recuse" himself from the decision has been made by Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey. Ordinarily, the PM would not have a say, and it is understood that Patel does not expect to involve Johnson in the appointment.
The home secretary has thanked Dick for her service, as did Mayor Khan, but there were no further comments in regard to the timing of her successor's appointment.