What do Dame Cressida Dick and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have in common? Both were handed recent contract extensions, only to suffer a disastrous run of results and be sent packing. It remains unclear whether she will turn up at Guàrdia Urbana de Barcelona once her replacement is appointed.
Dame Cressida is hardly the first Met chief to be forced out by a Mayor, who is also effectively the Police and Crime Commissioner for the capital but knows it is the Home Secretary who will ultimately appoint a new one. More on that conflict here.
There were six major scandals that led to Dick’s demise. You can read a full account of each here but for brevity, they are in no particular order:
1. The murder of Sarah Everard by Met PC Wayne Couzens, known as ‘the rapist’ in his previous job at the Civil Nuclear Constabulary because he made female colleagues feel so uncomfortable. And the controversy surrounding the policing of her vigil, after women were handcuffed on the ground and led away by officers.
2. The vile messages sent by police from Charing Cross Police station. These included multiple references to rape, violence against women, racist and homophobic abuse which were unveiled by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
3. The initial delay to the ‘partygate investigation’, despite compelling evidence and a strong public interest.
4. Security failures at the Euro 2020 final, following which an independent review conducted by Baroness Casey concluded policing at the game “did not sufficiently mitigate the risk of ticketless fans, with officers deployed too late in the day”.
5. The Daniel Morgan Inquiry: An independent report accused the Met of institutional corruption over its handling of the death of Daniel Morgan, a private investigator who was killed with an axe 34 years ago.
6. Officers jailed over photos of murdered sisters.
This is, by necessity, an abridged version. In today’s paper alone, we report:
a) a special investigation which found that 150 Met officers faced domestic violence claims in the past two years.
b) news that a court heard a Met officer asked a 15-year-old girl if she had a boyfriend after getting her to meet him in a park when she finished school.
c) the announcement that a Met sergeant who was accused of kissing and pinching the cheek of a female officer – without her consent – while on duty, has avoided dismissal and will instead be demoted.
This is not to say that all responsibility for police failings can be laid at Dame Cressida’s door, the first woman to lead the Met and a long-time public servant. But if you’ve heard a lot about the Met’s rotten culture but weren’t sure exactly what it meant, I hope today’s newsletter has put some meat on that particularly depressing bone.
In the comment pages, Priti Patel pays tribute to Dame Cressida and vows that she will select the right Commissioner. Meanwhile, Diary Editor Robbie Smith has a lovely piece on the early risers and the night owls who get to see London at peace. He also has a delightful take on Brooklyn Beckham: The celebrity chef who can’t cook.
And finally, forget Las Vegas... two days after picking up three more BRIT awards, Adele stormed stage to pole dance at Heaven nightclub last night.
Arts Editor Nancy Durrant speaks for the nation when she writes, “This was a glimpse of one of the world’s biggest stars being absolutely and unapologetically herself. London bloody loves you Adele, we’re so proud.”
Have an Adele of a weekend.
Did someone kindly forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here to get it in your inbox every weekday at 4pm.
