Metropolitan Police commissioner Cressida Dick has resigned after five years in the job. Despite successes such as a decrease in the overall levels of serious injury to young people, and large numbers of dangerous weapons being seized, her tenure has been plagued by a series of high-profile incidents of misconduct and criminal offence by serving officers. These have all contributed to an increasingly tense climate about the London police and, indeed, raised questions about Dick’s leadership abilities.
Dick, the first woman to lead the Met, said it was clear that London mayor Sadiq Khan had no confidence in her leadership. Khan had previously asked Dick for a plan to “win back the trust and confidence” of the public following a number of scandals.
Most notable was the horrendous murder of Sarah Everard by PC Wayne Couzens and the police’s handling of subsequent vigils. Another two Met officers were jailed for taking and sharing pictures of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman at the crime scene.
