Forced out The demise of the Met's ‘tin-eared' trailblazer

Five years ago, the announce-ment that Cressida Dick would be the first female head of Britain’s biggest force seemed a landmark moment for policing and the nation.

- Vikram Dodd

The Metropolitan police, one of the most important and male-dominated institutions in the UK, would be led by a woman.

Dick posed for photos with the mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who had championed her. “This is a historic day for London and a proud day for me as mayor,” he said.

But one senior government official with knowledge of policing expressed surprise: the search had been for a reforming Met commissioner, the official noted. Dick was probably the most conservative candidate available. Even in private she would brook little or no criticism about the most vexed issue of stop and search, when other police leaders would.

Dick wanted to boost the force’s sense of confidence and pride. Veteran officers about to retire would hear a familiar voice on their police radio as their service ended, thanking them and wishing them well. It was from “ Metro 1”, the radio call sign for the commissioner. Warm gestures like that endeared her to the rank and file. But her commissionership was starting to tank with the public, according to regular confidence surveys from the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime.