Khan rejects Met ‘pressure’ report
I HELD COMMISSIONER TO ACCOUNT, SAYS LONDON MAYOR
THE London mayor, Sadiq Khan, has slammed a report claiming he “intimidated” former Metropolitan police commissioner Dame Cressida Dick into resigning, adding that the review was “clearly biased and ignores the facts”.
Dame Cressida stepped down in February after she was criticised for the Met’s poor handling of a number of high-profile cases, including the racism scandal at Charing Cross police station and the force’s response to the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer.
The Charing Cross incident, where a number of officers shared racist, sexist, misogynist and Islamophobic messages, is believed to have angered the mayor, after it was revealed that two of the officers investigated were promoted, while nine were left to continue serving.
Reports claimed the former commissioner failed to attend a meeting a week before her resignation, when she was meant to explain to Khan how she planned on improving the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS).
The former home secretary Priti Patel commissioned Sir Tom Winsor, a vocal supporter of Dame Cressida in the past, to investigate the circumstances that led to her resignation.
Sir Tom claimed in his report that Dame Cressida “faced political pressure from the mayor to resign”, which was “outside the established statutory procedure and contrary to the wider legislative scheme”.
The mayor hit back, saying his duty was to serve Londoners and under Dame Cressida’s leadership, the public had lost trust in the police.
“Londoners will be able to see that this review is clearly biased and ignores the facts,” said Khan.
“On the former commissioner’s watch, trust in the police fell to record lows after a litany of terrible scandals. What happened was simple – I lost confidence in the former commissioner’s ability to make the changes needed and she then chose to stand aside.
“Londoners elected me to hold the Met commissioner to account and that’s exactly what I have done. I make absolutely no apology for demanding better for London and for putting the interests of the city I love first. I will continue working with the new commissioner to reduce crime and to rebuild trust and confidence in the police.”
Patel last Sunday (2) seemed to back up the mayor’s assessment of a lack of confidence in the police force, telling Dame Cressida’s successor Sir Mark Rowley that he needed to learn from the “appalling mistakes of the past” and “restore trust and confidence”.
In a three-page letter, she accused the force of “failing to get the basics right”. She wrote: “Several recent high-profile incidents have affected public trust and confidence across communities particularly in London – raising serious questions about the culture and standards in the MPS.
“Londoners need to be assured that improvements are being made immediately and will have an impact.
“I expect the MPS, under your leadership, clearly to demonstrate that it will learn from the appalling mistakes of the past and move the culture away from the organisational defensiveness that has hindered progress and damaged public trust.”