Dame Cressida Dick will lead Met Police until 2024
It's been confirmed by Home Secretary Priti Patel
Last updated 27th May 2022
The Home Secretary Priti Patel has confirmed that Dame Cressida Dick will continue to lead the Metropolitan Police Service until 2024.
She will be in the post until 2024, which is a two-year extension to her appointment which was due to end next April.
Dame Cressida says she looks forward to creating "an even more visible, stronger and professional Met". In a statement she said;
"I am immensely honoured and humbled to have been asked to extend my time as Commissioner for a further two years. I am proud to continue to serve my city."
“In the last four and a half years Met teams have dealt with some extraordinary challenges, including most recently in the pandemic, and delivered some fantastic results – critically in reducing violent crimes. In addition, we have grown and modernised.
“I look forward to continuing to work with my dedicated, courageous colleagues and the public to create an even more visible, stronger and professional Met. We will strive to prevent and reduce violence and the crimes Londoners care most about, bring more criminals to justice, and protect, support and build the confidence of all our communities.
“I'd like to thank the Mayor, the Home Secretary and the Prime Minister for the confidence they have shown in me. I am acutely aware that there are many excellent leaders in policing.
“Every day across the capital, officers and police staff come to work focused on protecting people and making London safer – it is not only what the public expect and demand of us, but it is what inspired each of us to join and why after more than 35 years in policing I remain so passionate. Londoners have my word that I will keep working as hard as I can for them and for this wonderful city that I love. I take the responsibilities I have been entrusted with extremely seriously.”
Earlier the Metropolitan Police Federation publicly backed her in a letter saying, 'it's easy to comment and criticise from the sidelines' and although they don't always agree with the commissioner they think she is doing a 'good job in difficult circumstances'.
It comes after a number of high-profile figures, including the mother of Stephen Lawrence, signed an open letter to the Prime Minister accusing the Commissioner of "presiding over a culture of incompetence and cover-up" following reports she had been offered a two-year extension to her contract.
In a statement Priti Patel said;
"I am pleased to announce that Dame Cressida will continue to lead the Metropolitan Police until April 2024 and wish to thank her for her service to date", adding that the extension to her contract will provide "continuity and stability as we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic and recruit 20,000 additional police officers".
The extension, which is granted by Her Majesty the Queen, was also supported by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan.
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