London's top cop quits after series of scandals over police force culture

LONDON • London's most senior police officer Cressida Dick has resigned after Mayor Sadiq Khan lost confidence in her leadership over a series of scandals that rocked the British capital's force.

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner was under intense pressure after an official report last week found officers had joked about rape, killing black children and beating their wives. It came with the Met already facing widespread condemnation, including over the murder of a young woman, Ms Sarah Everard, by a serving police officer last year.

"It is clear that the mayor no longer has sufficient confidence in my leadership to continue," Ms Dick said in a sudden statement late on Thursday, just hours after telling BBC Radio she had "absolutely no intention of going".

Ms Dick is the first woman to head London's police force, which is also responsible for counter-terrorism nationwide. Her 2017 appointment came at a time when public confidence in the force was already declining. But the scrutiny intensified dramatically when Ms Everard was murdered.

It was not only the humiliation that the crime was committed by a Met officer. The force was also widely criticised for its heavy-handed policing of a vigil in Ms Everard's memory, which took place when London was under pandemic social distancing rules.

For Ms Dick, the coronavirus outbreak compounded what was already a turbulent time for the police under her tenure, including protests over lockdowns, the environment, Brexit and terrorist attacks at London Bridge that left eight people dead just months after she took office.

While the power to hire and fire London's top police official lies with Home Secretary Priti Patel, the position effectively relies on the mayor's support. By Thursday, the relationship had broken down.

In yesterday's London's Evening Standard, Ms Patel wrote that a series of "appalling incidents" meant that "strong and decisive new leadership will be required to restore public confidence" in the Met.

The timing is especially awkward for Prime Minister Boris Johnson's administration, which is under investigation by the Met over allegations that Downing Street staff held parties that broke pandemic rules imposed by the government on the country.

Ms Dick became embroiled in a political storm after the Met initially decided not to start a formal probe, before later reversing the decision amid a public outcry.

"I am not satisfied with the commissioner's response," Mr Khan said in a statement published after Ms Dick announced her resignation. "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."

BLOOMBERG