Just weeks before a new commissioner is set to take over with the intention of repairing the Met’s damaged reputation, three of the most senior officers have announced they are stepping down.
Sir Stephen House, who had temporarily assumed the position of commissioner in April, will step down on September 12 when Sir Mark Rowley takes over.
On October 31, Deputy Commissioner Helen Ball will retire from the police force after 35 years of service, and Assistant Commissioner Nick Ephgrave will relocate soon.
All three commanders were regarded as Dame Cressida’s top lieutenants and were either selected by her or promoted by her.
Sir Mark expressed his gratitude for the chance to “assemble a new leadership team” today.
The Met has been placed in special measures as a result of multiple scandals including sexism, racism, and ineptitude. The new police chief will have a difficult time restoring the force’s credibility.
It occurs as applications for Mr. Ephgrave’s £206,274-a-year position, which was advertised on the force’s website, are now being accepted.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council will supervise an assessment of operational productivity in law enforcement under Sir Stephen’s direction.
The Scottish policeman was named Police Scotland’s chief constable in 2012 after serving in a number of different forces.
However, he received criticism for using stop and search procedures as well as armed patrols when he was in charge of the force.
In spite of receiving a call from a member of the public, Lamara Bell and John Yuill’s deaths, which went unreported for three days in a crashed automobile, led to his resignation in 2015.
But in 2018, he was appointed assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan Police, and before the end of the year, he had been elevated to deputy commissioner.
“Sir Steve should be enormously proud of his record as a police leader,” said Sir Mark, the new commissioner. His influence has had a lasting impact on police, not only in London but also in many other places.
I appreciate his leadership of the Met throughout the previous tumultuous months and am aware that the security of Londoners has always been his first concern.
“I want to honour Sir Steve House for his decades of public service,” said Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London.
He has played a crucial part in the substantial progress we have achieved in reducing violence and making our neighbourhoods safer. He has served London in a variety of critical capacities at the Met, including as acting commissioner.
I really hope Sir Steve succeeds in his new position.
As an assistant chief constable, Ms. Ball joined the department in 1987 but departed in 2010 to join Thames Valley Police.
Later, she went back to her previous job in counterterrorism law enforcement before accepting a position as a strategic leadership adviser at the College of Policing.
Mr. Ephgrave will handle the criminal justice portfolio while serving as a secondee at the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
He started his career with the Metropolitan Police before transferring to Surrey Police as chief constable in late 2015.
He joined the Metropolitan Police once again in 2019 as an assistant commissioner.
Helen and Nick are both outstanding leaders with the highest integrity who have devoted their lives to public service, Sir Mark said.
“I wish Helen the best of luck in her retirement and am thrilled that Nick will bring his breadth of expertise from more than three decades of police to this crucial work on providing better results for victims of crime, ” said the speaker.
“I am thankful for the chance to create a new leadership team to move the Met forward.”
On August 29, applications for the post of assistant commissioner, which has been called “one of the hardest but most rewarding occupations in police,” must be submitted.
After receiving criticism for how she handled racist, misogynistic, and homophobic comments sent by a group of officers stationed at Charing Cross police station, along with a number of other controversies, Dame Cressida resigned from her position as commissioner.
A string of disturbing incidents have damaged the Met’s reputation, including the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a police officer in uniform, the sharing on WhatsApp of images of the bodies of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry’s murder victims by two police officers, and an inspectorate report that found 2,000 missing warrant cards.