Cressida Dick: Met police chief announces leaving date

Dame Cressida Dick was the first woman to hold the role of commissioner

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick will leave her role on 10 April.

Her current deputy, Sir Stephen House, will take over in the interim until a new Met chief has been appointed.

Dame Cressida quit in February when the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he had lost confidence in her leadership.

A spokesperson for Mr Khan said the next commissioner "must have a plan to restore the trust and confidence of Londoners".

High-profile scandals

In a tweet, Dame Cressida said: "It has been a tremendous honour to serve the people of London and the UK."

The commissioner said she had to resign from the role after Mr Khan's intervention.

It followed a number of high-profile scandals involving the force, including cases of sexism and misogyny among some Met officers.

Last month, the police watchdog found "disgraceful" examples of bullying and sexual harassment at Charing Cross police station in central London.

Dame Cressida, the first woman to lead the UK's biggest police force, also faced criticism over the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving Met officer last year, and a series of other controversies.

Her successor will be appointed by the home secretary, in consultation with the mayor of London.

Mr Khan's office said the mayor would work with the home secretary "to address the deep cultural issues facing the Met Police Service".

A spokesman for Mr Khan said: "The mayor thanks Dame Cressida Dick for her decades of public service.

Dame Cressida will take unused annual leave after 10 April, with her last day of employment being 24 April.

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