Ms Dick is one of the country's most experienced and well-known chief police officers who isn't actually working as one.

In 2014 she left Scotland Yard to take up a highly sensitive and undisclosed director-general post at the Foreign Office.

She joined the Met in 1983 after graduating from Oxford University. 

In 2009 she became the first woman to be appointed an assistant commissioner in the Metropolitan Police, becoming the national lead for counter-terrorism across the UK.

Her other experience includes taking on internal reforms of Scotland Yard and being one of the two senior officers in charge of security at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Image source, Met Police

London politicians are starting to react to the appointment.

Caroline Pidgeon, Lib Dem Assembly Member, said: "The Metropolitan Police was founded by Robert Peel who declared 188 years ago that the police are the public and the public are the police. 

"Today it feels as if that principle is finally being put into practice with the capital at long last having a woman Commissioner.”

What do Londoners think new Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick's priorities should be?

Cressida Dick beat off three others to be appointed to the top job.

She will be in charge of about 43,000 officers and a budget of more than £3bn.  

Image source, PA

The appointment means that all three emergency services in London are led by women.

Fiona Moore has been in charge of London Ambulance Service since 2015, while Dany Cotton is in charge of London Fire Brigade.

A charity is training dogs to assist war veterans who suffer from post traumatic stress disorder.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said, external: "Cressida Dick is an exceptional leader, and has a clear vision for the future of the Metropolitan Police and an understanding of the diverse range of communities it serves. I am delighted Her Majesty has agreed my recommendation after a rigorous recruitment process which highlighted the quality of senior policing in this country."

Image source, Met Police

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said it was a "historic day" for the city and a "proud day for me".

"The Metropolitan Police do an incredible job, working hard with enormous dedication every single day to keep Londoners safe, so for me it was absolutely essential that we found the best possible person to take the Met forward over the coming years and I am confident that we have succeeded."

The selection of Ms Dick as the Met Police commissioner means it is the first time that all three top policing jobs in the UK are held by women: the Met Commissioner, the head of the National Crime Agency and the president of the National Police Chief's Council.  

Ms Dick added that it was "a great responsibility and an amazing opportunity".

Nick Beake
Home affairs correspondent, BBC London

Cressida Dick has become the first woman to run Scotland Yard. 

She is currently a director-general at the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office. 

Ms Dick was previously the country's most senior female police officer and the national lead for police counter-terrorism. 

She left the Met after 31 years of service in December 2014. 

The new commissioner will earn a salary of £270,648, plus benefits.  

Cressida Dick was the commander in charge of the operation in which the innocent Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes was shot dead two weeks after the 2005 London Bombings. 

 A jury later found the Met had broken health and safety laws, but found there was "no personal culpability for Commander Cressida Dick". 

Cressida Dick becomes first woman to be appointed Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Sutton United's FA Cup fairytale turned into a "nightmare" with the resignation of goalkeeper Wayne Shaw on Tuesday, says manager Paul Doswell.

Image source, Reuters

Shaw, 45, was seen to eat a pie on the bench during Monday's FA Cup loss to Arsenal, after a bookmaker offered odds of 8-1 that he would do so on camera.

The Gambling Commission and Football Association are investigating if there was a breach of betting regulations.

Kathryn Langley
BBC Live reporter

You've been tweeting your views about the latest #southernstrike, external

Ziggy is a specially trained dog to help his owner, Richard, with his post-traumatic stress disorder.

Storm to bring some wet and windy weather to the South East.

Image source, Getty Images

The number of homeowners moving house in London last year fell to its lowest level for 25 years, according to the latest lending figures.

The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) said, external home-movers in the capital took out just 32,400 loans in 2016.

That was 10% fewer than in 2015 and the lowest number since the recession of 1991.

The number of first-time buyers needing a loan also fell. They took out 43,300 mortgages, a drop of 5% on 2015.

Harlequins have agreed a deal to sign prop Phil Swainston from fellow Premiership side Wasps at the end of the season.

BBC Weather

We'll see overcast skies across London, accompanied by occasional rain through much of the day. 

Whilst there may be some heavier bursts at times, a few bright spells are also possible too. 

Maximum Temperature: 13C (55F).