Will Sadiq Khan sack Cressida Dick ???

Future of Metropolitan Police chief hinges on message scandal response – Khan

Margaret Davis and Catherine Wylie
9 February 2022, 9:43 amThe future of Metropolitan Police chief Dame Cressida Dick hangs in the balance over her response to outrage sparked by racist, misogynist and homophobic messages exchanged by officers.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan on Wednesday said his continued trust and confidence in Dame Cressida hinges on how she addresses problems with the culture at the force and her plan to win back the trust of the public.

Mr Khan is responsible for holding the Commissioner to account and is consulted by the Home Secretary over who is appointed to the role.

His comments came after a series of disturbing messages exchanged by a group of officers, primarily based at Charing Cross police station, were published by a watchdog last week.


Mr Khan said he has demanded answers over how Dame Cressida will reform the culture in the Met and restore public confidence (Victoria Jones/PA)
Asked if Dame Cressida still has his trust and confidence, Mr Khan told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “That will be contingent upon the response from the Commissioner the next time I see her.”

Mr Khan said he sees the Commissioner “on a regular basis”, adding: “The next time I see her I’ll expect to see a response to the two big questions that I posed.”

He told the programme: “So the first part of what I expect to see is – what is the response from the Commissioner as to how she intends to address the culture, address the situation, where too many police officers are behaving in a way that’s unacceptable?

“And by the way, nine of those 14 police officers – you mentioned Charing Cross – are still serving.

“And secondly, what is the plan to win back the trust and confidence in the public in relation to the police service that police our capital city?”

Mr Khan told the broadcaster two of the nine officers still serving after being caught up in the scandal have been promoted, while a 10th – a former officer – is still employed by the Met as a contractor in a staff role.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) took the unusual step of publishing the WhatsApp and Facebook messages, which were uncovered as part of a probe into behaviour within the Charing Cross team between 2016 and 2018.

Some 14 officers were investigated as a result, with two found to have a case to answer for gross misconduct. One was sacked and another resigned before he would have been dismissed.

Asked if all of those involved should be sacked, Mr Khan said: “I think Londoners can’t understand why nine of these 14 police officers are still serving.

“I’ve asked that question.”

 

GOT HER !!!

Less than twelve hours after Cressida Dick told the BBC that she had no reason to resign, Sadiq Khan sacks her


Dame Cressida Dick forced out as Metropolitan Police Commissioner

Amy Gibbons
10 February 2022, 7:18 pmBeleaguered Metropolitan Police boss Dame Cressida Dick has resigned from her job after losing the backing of the London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

The Commissioner has faced a series of scandals during her time leading Britain’s biggest police force – most recently violently racist, misogynist and homophobic messages exchanged by officers based at Charing Cross police station that were published by a watchdog.

It is understood that Dame Cressida submitted a plan for reforming the force but Mr Khan did not think it met what was required, and called her in for a meeting at 4.30 on Thursday.
However she did not attend and submitted her resignation instead.

The Home Office did not know in advance, with a mayoral source confirming: “It was a Sadiq-led thing.”

The force has also faced criticism over its apparent hesitation to launch an investigation into alleged parties held in Downing Street and the Cabinet Office during lockdown.

My statement on the departure of the Met Commissioner: pic.twitter.com/cxvxbTxTaW

— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) February 10, 2022

And there was fury over the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer, as well as the force’s actions following her death in tackling a vigil held in her memory during coronavirus restrictions, and issuing clumsy advice telling women in trouble to flag down a passing bus that later had to be retracted.

Last summer the notorious 1987 unsolved murder of Daniel Morgan also hit the headlines, with an independent panel accusing the Metropolitan Police of institutional corruption over the case.

On Thursday evening, in a shock statement, Dame Cressida announced she was stepping down from the job, despite hours earlier having insisted she had no intention of going.

Commissioner Cressida Dick will resign from the Metropolitan Police Service – read her statement here.https://t.co/Hl2ds20LRI pic.twitter.com/sACqkVZ5my

— Metropolitan Police (@metpoliceuk) February 10, 2022

She said: “It is with huge sadness that following contact with the Mayor of London today, it is clear that the Mayor no longer has sufficient confidence in my leadership to continue.

“He has left me no choice but to step aside as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service.”

Hours earlier, when asked by the BBC if she should step down she said: “I have absolutely no intention of going and I believe that I am and have been, actually for the last five years, leading a real transformation in the Met.”

Mr Khan earlier this week indicated that Dame Cressida’s future hung in the balance over her response to problems with the culture within the Met, and how to restore the public’s confidence in the force.

On Thursday he said: “Last week, I made clear to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner the scale of the change I believe is urgently required to rebuild the trust and confidence of Londoners in the Met and to root out the racism, sexism, homophobia, bullying, discrimination and misogyny that still exists.

“I am not satisfied with the Commissioner’s response.

“On being informed of this, Dame Cressida Dick has said she will be standing aside.

“It’s clear that the only way to start to deliver the scale of the change required is to have new leadership right at the top of the Metropolitan Police.”

He added: “I will now work closely with the Home Secretary on the appointment of a new Commissioner so that we can move quickly to restore trust in the capital’s police service while keeping London safe.”

pic.twitter.com/KwQT0M1v1o

— Priti Patel (@pritipatel) February 10, 2022

Home Secretary Priti Patel, who has reportedly had past clashes with Dame Cressida, praised the officer’s “steadfast dedication”.

She said: “I’d like to thank Dame Cressida for the nearly four decades of her life that she has devoted to serving the public, latterly as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

“She would be the first to say that she has held the role during challenging times; yet for nearly five years she has undertaken her duties with a steadfast dedication to protecting our capital city and its people, including during the unprecedented period of the pandemic.

“Leading the Met has also involved driving our national counter terrorism capability at a time of multiple threats while as the first woman to hold the post, she has exemplified the increasingly diverse nature of our police and demonstrated that all can aspire to hold leadership roles in policing in this country today.”