Hunt for new Met chief enters final straight

Home Office must decide which of two candidates to back but search could start anew if neither impresses

THE process to find the new Metropolitan Police commissioner will enter its final phase this week when the remaining two candidates meet the Home Secretary for a “fireside chat”.

Sir Mark Rowley, the former head of counter terror policing, and Nick Ephgrave, an Assistant Commissioner in the Met, both passed the formal interview stage a fortnight ago but must now persuade Priti Patel they have what it takes.

While Sir Mark, who retired from policing in 2018, is thought to be the frontrunner, insiders have not ruled out the possibility that neither candidate will make the grade, meaning the process would have to start again.

The top job in British policing became vacant in February when Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, said he had lost faith in Dame Cressida Dick, forcing her to resign – months after she was given a five-year contract extension.

Her departure came in the wake of a string of damaging scandals for the force, including the murder of Sarah Everard by serving Met officer Wayne Couzens, the fallout from the VIP child abuse inquiry and a damning report on a racist and misogynistic culture among officers at Charing Cross police station.

The search for Dame Cressida’s successor has been punctuated by political sniping between the Home Secretary and the Mayor as well as further bad headlines for the Met.

Last week, in a further humiliation, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary, Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) placed the force in special measures for the first time in its history.

Despite this, Sir Mark and Mr Ephgrave are convinced they can take Scotland Yard into a new era and rebuild the trust and confidence lost in recent years.

Observers say the inspectorate’s report could provide the new commissioner with a mandate for root-andbranch reform.

Last month, the candidates appeared before an interview panel to set out their vision. According to sources Sir Mark impressed by presenting a detailed plan of what he would do in his first 100 days. His priorities would be to drive down violence in the capital – a feat he achieved when he brought annual murders below 100 as head of special operations in the early 2010s – and address concerns over female safety. But it is understood he also explained what he would do to tackle the Met’s deep rooted cultural problems.

Mr Ephgrave, who was Surrey’s chief constable from 2015 to 2019, is understood to have been less detailed in his proposals but was said to have come across “very well” with the panel.

The role of the panel – which included Sir Tom Winsor, a former chief inspector of constabulary, Matthew Rycroft, the permanent secretary to the Home Office, and Diana Luchford, chief executive of the Mayor’s office for policing – is not to recommend one candidate but to assess whether they are appointable.

However, a senior policing source said the Home Secretary will be able to read between the lines of the report to see which candidate they favour.

Ms Patel had indicated she would be keen to see the next chief come from outside the Met, with suggestions it could even be an overseas candidate. Mr Khan has also indicated someone without past Met links would be best suited.

While both final candidates have served with the Met, Sir Mark spent the majority of his career with the West Midlands and Surrey forces. He only joined Scotland Yard in 2011 and, from 2014 onwards, ran counter-terrorism, which is a national role. He was in charge in 2017 when a string of terror attacks rocked the country and Scotland Yard insiders describe him as a “safe pair of hands” with a vast amount of experience and lots of drive.

Showing his versatility, he recently wrote a thriller novel, The Sleep of Reason, about extremism and radicalisation.

Mr Ephgrave joined the Met in 1990 and, apart from four years in Surrey, has spent his whole career at Scotland Yard. Most recently, he was in charge of frontline policing – the area that has faced the most criticism. One insider said: “The Met are good at terrorism and organised crime but bad at pretty much everything else and much of that is on Nick’s watch ... It’s bad at crime recording, tackling acquisitive crime and violence and these are all frontline issues.”

Mr Ephgrave also came in for criticism after Sarah Everard’s murder, when he suggested women concerned for their safety should flag down a bus. But sources in the Met insist he is well liked, trusted by officers and is “intelligent, warm and thoughtful”.

Next week, both men will be called in for a series of informal meetings at which they will make their final pitches.

As well as meeting the Home Secretary, they will see Kit Malthouse the policing minister and Mr Khan.

If things go well an announcement is expected in early August but there has been a gulf between the Home Secretary and the Mayor, with both blaming each other for the failings at the Yard. The decision is the Home Secretary’s, though she must take account of Mr Khan’s views. But with relations described as “frosty” there is concern there will be an impasse.