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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
National
Harry Thompson

How long was Cressida Dick Met Police chief for and who could replace her as she resigns?

Dame Cressida Dick has stepped down as the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police after a slew of controversies surrounding the London-based force.

The city's mayor, Sadiq Khan, made his position clear when it emerged she no longer held his confidence - in the end, 61-year-old Dick said she had been left with "no choice" but to step down.

Her time in the hot seat has been mired with scandal, from the brutal murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer to failure to act decisively on the ongoing Downing Street Partygate saga.

In recent days, further disaster emerged for Dick after officers serving at Charing Cross Police Station were found by the police watchdog to have shared misogynistic messages as they joked about "slapping your missus about" and calling women "daft c**ts" for being murdered by their boyfriends.

In the wake of Dick's departure, we look back at how long she served in the role and where the current conversation is regarding who could take her place.

How long was Cressida Dick London's Police Commissioner?

Dick has held the role for the best part of half a decade (PA)

Oxford-educated Dick became Police Commissioner of the Metropolis on February 22, 2017 - almost five years to the day before her resignation.

Her appointment was jointly announced by the Home Office and the Met with the support of then-home secretary Amber Rudd. The role is selected by the Home Secretary with help from the London Mayor and tends to have a term of five years.

Dick, who was the first woman to hold the role, had previously held the position of Assistant Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner in her 40-year policing career, before ascending to the top spot on the force.

Who will replace Cressida Dick?

The hunt for Dick's replacement is on (SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The hunt for Dick's replacement is already underway, with the appointment again due to be made by the Home Secretary Priti Patel.

A number of names are in the frame to take over, but applicants must be "serving UK chief constables or of equivalent UK ranks and above or have recent experience at these levels".

One strong contender is Neil Basu, the former head of counter-terrorism and the most senior serving British officer of Asian heritage. His appointment would make him the first minority ethnic commissioner.

British Transport Police chief constable and former deputy assistant commissioner for specialist operations, Lucy D’Orsi, is also in the frame. The 52-year-old has a long list of achievements and notable moments on her CV, including heading security for President Xi Jinping’s visit to the UK in 2015.

Matt Jukes, the current head of counterterrorism for the Met, is also in the mix. As the former chief constable of South Wales Police, his experience leading a force puts him among the forerunners for the role.

Current Deputy Commissioner of the Met, Stephen House, a former chief constable of Police Scotland, and Helen Ball, assistant commissioner for professionalism and a serving police officer since 1987, are also both in the mix.

Also on the list of potential candidates are the likes of assistant commissioner for frontline policing Nick Ephgrave, retired former head of counterterrorism Mark Rowley, recently retired director-general of the National Crime Agency Dame Lynne Owens, and chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Police Shaun Sawyer.

Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and Inspector of Fire and Rescue Authorities in England Andy Cooke is also believed to be in the mix, as are Deputy Assistant Commissioner in the Met Police Graham McNulty and Essex Chief Constable B. J. Harrington.

Speaking to LBC, former Met Police commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson said that in order to find the best candidate out there, "we should be casting the net as wide as possible".

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