Space is tight in this part of the paper so there is not enough room to detail, in full, the failures of Cressida Dick in her time with the Met.
But we can give the main points as we wonder how and how she failed to tackle a toxic culture at the heart of our largest force.
The Met has been synonymous with corruption for decades. In the late 1990s, in the wake of the Stephen Lawrence murder, the Macpherson report branded the Met “institutionally racist”.
Later reports found not enough has been done to tackle the problems. Of course not. And the toxic culture extends to homophobia, sexism, misogyny.
The Met needed a leader strong enough to get to the root of the issues. Dame Cressida wasn’t it.
As well as the institutional failings, there was the Sarah Everard murder – carried out by a serving officer – and the heavy-handed policing of a nearby vigil.
Two officers were jailed for taking photos of the bodies of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman in 2020.
And of course, Jean Charles de Menezes. The Brazilian had come to London for work and a safe life. In 2005, he was shot dead in a counter-terror operation led by Dame Cressida.
No officers were prosecuted. Dame Cressida was absolved of any blame. It caused more pain for the family of Jean Charles, 27 when he was killed.
Asked about Dame Cressida’s promotions, the family said: “We feel sad and offended as we don’t know how this lady is carrying on in this position.”
She’s not now, of course. Which is small comfort but something. The honourable thing, of course, would have been to have gone a long time ago.
Time to get out of Ukraine
The shambolic extraction of Brits stranded as Afghanistan fell was another shameful chapter in UK actions overseas.
Now, as Russian troops gather on the border of Ukraine and the diplomatic rhetoric ramps up, we face a similar situation.
Many Brits are refusing to leave despite Foreign Office advice. We admire their courage and hope the invasion never comes.
But it might. And with the track record of this Government when it comes to keeping Brits safe, it’s best to get out now.
