As a former senior police officer with more than 30 years’ service working on the frontline and ending my career at the rank of detective superintendent, I know only too well how challenging policing can be – not least for a new commissioner of the Metropolitan police. On Monday, Mark Rowley takes over Britain’s biggest force, and with it the toughest challenge of all: to restore trust and confidence in an organisation whose public standing is at rock bottom.
Rowley’s predecessor, Cressida Dick, resigned in February after the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, made clear he had lost confidence in her leadership. It’s easy to see why: on her watch, the Met was plagued by a catalogue of scandals. The murder of Sarah Everard last March by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens – and the notorious handling of a vigil on Clapham Common – ignited intense feelings of anger and disgust. While an independent review found the Met acted appropriately at the vigil, it should have read the situation better. It missed a vital opportunity to protect and restore trust with the women and girls who felt betrayed that night.
