Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis

The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is the head of London's Metropolitan Police Service. Cressida Dick was appointed to the post in 2017, and assumed office on 10 April.[1]

Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
Epaulette
Incumbent Dame Cressida Dick since 10 April 2017
Reports to	The Home Secretary
Appointer	The Monarch on advice of the Home Secretary
Term length	At Her Majesty's pleasure
Formation	1829
Deputy	Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
Website	www.met.police.uk

The Commissioner is regarded as the highest ranking police officer in the United Kingdom, although their authority is generally confined to the Metropolitan Police Service's area of operation, the Metropolitan Police District. However, unlike other police forces the Metropolitan Police has certain national responsibilities such as leading counter-terrorism policing and the protection of the Royal Family and senior members of Her Majesty's Government. Furthermore, the postholder is directly accountable to the Home Secretary and the public nationally amongst many others (the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, the Mayor of London, Londoners) whereas smaller police forces are only accountable to residents and their local Police and Crime Commissioner or police authority.[2]

The rank is usually referred to as the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, the Met Commissioner or simply just "Commissioner".

The Commissioner's annual salary without pension contributions or allowances from 1 September 2016 is £270,648 + £2,373.

History

The rank of Commissioner was created by the Metropolitan Police Act 1829; until 1855, the post was held jointly by two officers, but after the Metropolitan Police Act 1856 it was merged into a single post. The Commissioners were Justices of the Peace and not sworn constables until 1 April 1974.[3] The title Commissioner was not used until 1839.

The insignia of rank is a crown above a Bath Star, known as "pips", above crossed tipstaves within a wreath, very similar to the insignia worn by a full general in the British Army. This badge is all but unique within the British police, shared only with the Commissioner of the City of London Police, the smallest territorial police force, and HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary. Like all chief officer ranks in the British police, commissioners wear gorget patches on the collars of their tunics. The gorget patches are similar to those worn by generals, aside from being of silver-on-black instead of the Army's gold-on-red.

At one time, the commissioners were either retired military officers or civil servants. Sir John Nott-Bower, who served as Commissioner from 1953 to 1958, was the first career police officer to hold the post, despite several previous Commissioners having served in senior administrative positions in colonial forces, and the Metropolitan Police itself. Nott-Bower's successor Sir Joseph Simpson was the first Commissioner to have started his career at the lowest rank of Constable. However, Sir Robert Mark, appointed in 1972, was the first to have risen through all the ranks from the lowest to the highest, as all his successors have done.

As of 2008, the post of Commissioner is appointed for a period of five years.[4] Applicants are appointed to the post by the Queen, following a recommendation by the Home Secretary under the Police Act 1996.[4]

Eligibility and accountability

Applicants to the post of Commissioner had to be British citizens, and be "serving UK chief constables or of equivalent UK ranks and above, or have recent experience at these levels".[4] The post of Commissioner is "accountable to the Home Secretary; to the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, and must answer to Londoners and the public nationally."[4]

The requirement to be a British national blocked the appointment of non-British Commissioners in the past. In August 2011, Prime Minister David Cameron wanted former Los Angeles Police Department Chief Bill Bratton to become the new Met Police Commissioner, but this was blocked by the Home Office pointing out that the Commissioner has to be British.[5] This changed with an amendment to the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 whereby a person who is or has been "a police officer in an approved overseas police force, of at least the approved rank" could be appointed, in addition to "a constable in any part of the United Kingdom".[6][7]

The selection process in 2017 to select Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe's successor involved the candidates undergoing psychometric testing in addition to interviews with the Home Secretary, Mayor of London and Policing Minister. The process is conducted in private and the Home Office has specifically called for a "news blackout."[8] The discussion and public profile of the candidates was limited to speculation and rumour, with the Home Office refusing to even confirm the shortlisted candidates covered in the media.[9]

The Centre for Public Safety has recommended the selection process be reformed, to provide opportunities for greater public, community and workforce engagement in the process. In particular, suggesting a series of community interview panels and a public candidate forum – though they maintain that the final decision should still rest with the Home Secretary.[10]

List of Commissioners

#	From	To	Military rank (if applicable)	Name	Post Nominals	Notes
1	1829	1850	Lieutenant-Colonel	Sir Charles Rowan	KCB	First Joint Commissioner
2	1829	1868		Sir Richard Mayne	KCB	Second Joint Commissioner (1829–1850) then First Joint Commissioner (1850–1855) and finally Commissioner (1855-1868)
3	1850	1855	Captain	William Hay	CB	Second Joint Commissioner
4	1868	1869	Lieutenant-Colonel	Douglas Labalmondière	CB	Acting
5	1869	1886	Lieutenant-Colonel	Sir Edmund Henderson	KCB
6	1886	1888	Major-General	Sir Charles Warren	GCMG, KCB	Later returned to military duties
7	1888	1890		James Monro	CB	Senior civil servant before becoming Assistant Commissioner (Crime) and then Commissioner
8	1890	1903	Colonel	Sir Edward Bradford	Bt. GCB, GCVO, KCSI
9	1903	1918		Sir Edward Henry	Bt. GCVO, KCB, CSI, KPM	Senior civil servant before being appointed Inspector-General of Police of Bengal. Later served in other senior police appointments before becoming Commissioner.
10	1918	1920	General	Sir Nevil Macready	GCMG, KCB
11	1920	1928	Brigadier-General	Sir William Horwood	GBE, KCB, DSO
12	1928	1931	General	The Viscount Byng of Vimy	KCB, KCMG
13	1931	1935	Marshal of the Royal Air Force	The Lord Trenchard	GCB, GCVO, DSO	See Hugh Trenchard as Metropolitan Police Commissioner for details.
14	1935	1945	Air Vice-Marshal	Sir Philip Game	GCB, GCVO, GBE, KCMG, DSO
15	1945	1953		Sir Harold Scott	GCVO, KCB, KBE	Previously a senior civil servant. First Commissioner without any police or military background since Sir Richard Mayne.
16	1953	1958		Sir John Nott-Bower	KCVO, KPM	After Army service as a Second Lieutenant, Nott-Bower entered the Indian police as a superintendent.
17	1958	1968		Sir Joseph Simpson	KBE, KPFSM	Graduated from the Hendon Police College, as an acting station inspector after having joined as a constable.
18	1968	1972		Sir John Waldron	KCVO	Graduated from the Hendon Police College.
19	1972	1977		Sir Robert Mark	GBE, QPM	First Metropolitan Commissioner to have risen through all the police ranks from the lowest to the highest
20	1977	1982		Sir David McNee	QPM
21	1982	1987		Sir Kenneth Newman	GBE, QPM
22	1987	1993		Sir Peter Imbert	QPM
23	1993	2000		Sir Paul Condon	QPM
24	2000	2005		Sir John Stevens	QPM
25	2005	2008		Sir Ian Blair	QPM
26	2009	2011		Sir Paul Stephenson	QPM	Introduced Single Patrol policy where officers were required to patrol on their own by default
27	2011	2017		Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe	QPM	Formerly Chief Constable of Merseyside Police from 2004–2009.
28	2017			Dame Cressida Dick	DBE, QPM	First woman to be appointed Commissioner. Assumed office on 10 April 2017.

See also

• Police ranks of the United Kingdom

References

1. "Cressida Dick appointed as first female Met Police chief". BBC News. 22 February 2017. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
2. Metropolitan Police Authority - the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis Archived 14 August 2011 at the Wayback Machine
3. section 1(9)(a) of the Administration of Justice Act 1973 (as in para 10, Schedule 1 to the Act), which came into force 1 April 1974 by section 20 (commencement).
4. "COMMISSIONER OF POLICE OF THE METROPOLIS Applications are invited from senior police officers for this unique post". Home Office / Metropolitan Police Authority. 7 November 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 January 2009. Retrieved 15 December 2008. The Commissioner is accountable to the Home Secretary; to the MPA, chaired by the Mayor of London; and must answer to Londoners and the public nationally...Applicants should be serving UK chief constables or of equivalent UK ranks and above, or have recent experience at these levels. Because of the role of the Commissioner in national security, applicants must be British citizens. The appointment will be made by Her Majesty The Queen following a recommendation by the Home Secretary under the Police Act 1996. Before making this recommendation the Home Secretary will have regard to any recommendations made to her by the MPA and any representations from the Mayor of London...The appointment will be for a period of five years...Applications to be received by 12 noon on 1st December 2008.
5. Whitehead, Tom (5 August 2011). "David Cameron's US 'supercop' blocked by Theresa May". Daily Telegraph. London.
6. "Selection and appointment of Chief Officers". UK Home Office. 9 March 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
7. "Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011". Legislation.gov.uk. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
8. Police, Vikram Dodd; correspondent, crime (2 February 2017). "Two women among final four for Metropolitan police top job". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
9. "Two women among four shortlisted in race for top Met job". Evening Standard. 2 February 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
10. "The Next Commissioner: Giving Londoners a voice in the selection of their police chief – The Centre for Public Safety". www.centreforpublicsafety.com. Retrieved 15 February 2017.

External links

• Metropolitan Police Service timeline
• Commissioner Hogan-Howe in full ceremonial dress leading crowds up the Mall during the Queen's Diamond Jubilee 2012.