Sir Mark Rowley is to become the new commissioner of the Metropolitan police, after winning the top job in British law enforcement by promising “urgent reforms” to lead the country’s biggest force out of crisis.
Rowley, 57, a former head of counter-terrorism, left the Met in 2018 and returns after time in the private sector. He was selected over the Met assistant commissioner Nick Ephgrave, the other candidate to reach the final shortlist of two.
Rowley returns to find the force facing one of the worst crises since its founding in 1829. It has been placed in special measures by the policing inspectorate for the first time in its history.
The last commissioner, Cressida Dick, was ousted in February after falling out with the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan. The mayor was not convinced she could restore collapsing public confidence, which had been sapped by a series of scandals, leadership failures and poor performance in serving victims.
Rowley pledged an urgent shake-up. “Our mission is to lead the renewal of policing by consent, which has been so heavily dented in recent years as trust and confidence have fallen,” he said. “These reforms include our use of technology and data, our culture and our policing approach. We will fight crime with communities – not unilaterally dispense tactics.”
The Met commissioner is formally appointed by royal warrant from the Queen. The choice was made by the home secretary, Priti Patel, who had to take into account the views of Khan, who is also the police and crime commissioner for the capital.
The announcement came weeks ahead of schedule. One Whitehall insider said it was because the prime minister’s office, which is usually involved in big law enforcement appointments despite having no formal role, was unable to interfere this week because of the crisis surrounding Boris Johnson.
Rowley and Ephgrave faced the final interviews for the job this week, meeting the mayor on Wednesday. Patel held her interviews on Thursday, having the previous day been enmeshed in the Johnson saga.
Rowley pitched a 100-day plan to start turning the Met around, aware that more scandals and setbacks are to come, with some of the force’s leadership in denial about the severe trouble the organisation is in. He said the vast majority of Met staff were dedicated but he vowed to be “ruthless in removing those who are corrupting our integrity”.
Rowley applied in 2017 and lost out to Dick. He is a former chief constable of Surrey and has spent most of his policing career outside the Met, starting in the West Midlands force.
Even his critics in policing accept he is intellectually bright, but he will now encounter the biggest series of challenges any commissioner in modern times has faced. The commissioner’s salary is £293,000 a year.
Khan said: “Sir Mark has made clear to me that he is determined to be a reforming commissioner, committed to implementing a robust plan to rebuild trust and confidence in the police and to drive through the urgent reforms and step change in culture and performance Londoners deserve.”
Patel knows the Met’s problems have been dragging down the reputation of policing across the country and her party is struggling to convince voters of its credibility on crime. The home secretary said: “Rebuilding public trust and delivering on crime reduction must be his priority.”
Since Dick’s departure, her deputy, Sir Stephen House, has been acting commissioner. A number of the Met’s leadership are expected to depart in the coming months.
Scandals on race, homophobia and the treatment of women have plagued the Met, but it was the leadership’s handling and response to them that alarmed the government and City Hall, as well as a perceived defensiveness by Dick.
Rowley joined the Met in 2011 and by 2014 had become head of counter-terrorism, faced with the threat of Islamic State and its ability to attract young Britons to its campaign of violence. This was coupled with a rise in the extreme far right.
He was in charge and under severe pressure in 2017 after a wave of attacks hit the UK, centred on London and Manchester. Rowley is married to a lawyer and has a degree in mathematics from St Catharine’s College, Cambridge.
