Three of the most senior officers at the scandal-hit Metropolitan police have announced their departures five weeks before a new commissioner is due to take over tasked with making sweeping changes.
All three were key lieutenants of the former commissioner Dame Cressida Dick who was forced to stand down in February after London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, accused her of failing to deal with a culture of misogyny and racism.
Sir Stephen House, who had temporarily taken charge of the force after Dick’s departure, will step down when Sir Mark Rowley begins his tenure as the commissioner on 12 September. House will lead a review of operational productivity in policing overseen by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).
The acting deputy commissioner, Helen Ball, announced she will retire from policing after 35 years on 31 October. And Nick Ephgrave, an assistant commissioner who missed out to Rowley for the top job, will take a temporary post at the NPCC.
Applications for Ephgrave’s £206,274 a year job have appeared on the Met’s website.
Rowley praised the record of all three officers but said he welcomed the opportunity to introduce a new senior team.
Khan has said the new commissioner must commit to root-and-branch reform of the force. “I won’t support the appointment of a new commissioner unless they can demonstrate they understand the true extent of the cultural and organisational problems within the Met,” he said in June.
Dick stepped down soon after it emerged that racist, misogynist and homophobic messages had been sent by officers at Charing Cross police station.
The Met’s reputation had been hit by a series of disturbing cases including the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer; two constables who shared pictures on WhatsApp of the bodies of murder victims Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry; and an inspectorate report that revealed 2,000 warrant cards had gone missing.
The Met has continued to be dogged by criticism and scandal. On Monday it was accused of “state-sanctioned” child abuse after data revealed 650 children had been strip-searched over a two-year period. And the children’s commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, expressed alarm about racial disproportionality after the data showed 58% of the children searched were black.
House previously worked in several different forces and was appointed chief constable of Police Scotland in 2012. However, during his tenure leading the force he faced criticism for his use of armed patrols as well as stop and search.
He resigned in 2015 over the deaths of Lamara Bell and John Yuill, who lay undiscovered in a wrecked car for three days despite a call from a member of the public.
But in 2018 he became an assistant commissioner at the Met and was promoted to deputy commissioner by the end of the year.
In a statement Rowley said: “I am grateful to be given the opportunity to build a fresh leadership team to take the Met forward.”
He added: “Sir Steve should be extremely proud of his record as a police leader. His influence has left an enduring mark on policing not just in London but far beyond. I am grateful for his stewardship of the Met over the recent turbulent months and know his priority has always been the safety of Londoners.”
Khan thanked House for his service, who he said had “played an important role in the significant success we have made in driving down violence and making our communities safer”.
Ball joined the force in 1987 but left in 2010 for Thames Valley police as assistant chief constable. She later returned to work in counter-terrorism policing before taking on a strategic leadership adviser role at the College of Policing.
Ephgrave will lead the NPCC criminal justice portfolio on a secondment. He began his career at the Met and moved to become chief constable of Surrey police in late 2015. In 2019 he returned to the Met as an assistant commissioner.
Rowley added: “Both Helen and Nick are formidable leaders of the utmost integrity who have dedicated their careers to public service.
“I wish Helen all the very best in her retirement and am delighted that Nick will bring his wealth of experience from more than three decades of policing to this important work on delivering better outcomes for victims of crime.”
