Britain has appointed Cressida Dick as the first woman to head London’s police force in its 188-year history, succeeding Bernard Hogan-Howe who steps down as Metropolitan Police Commissioner this month after five years in charge.
Dick, 56, becomes the most senior officer in the country, heading a force of some 43,000 officers and staff and controlling a budget of more than 3 billion pounds.
“I am thrilled and humbled. This is a great responsibility and an amazing opportunity,” said Dick, who has been working for Britain’s Foreign Office after leaving the London force in 2015.
The Oxford University graduate had been the favorite to succeed Hogan-Howe.
In speeches to mark his departure, Hogan-Howe said budget pressures meant there would be fewer officers in future and that the force was struggling to recruit the extra firearms officers likely to be needed to deal with any terrorist attack.
Dick’s appointment means the most senior jobs connected to policing in Britain are now held by women, while the minister with responsibility for police and security is Home Secretary Amber Rudd.
Dick will have to decide how to police the upcoming state visit of U.S. President Donald Trump which has already
generated anger and is likely to be dogged by protests.
Asharq Al-Awsat English
Asharq Al-Awsat is the world’s premier pan-Arab daily newspaper, printed simultaneously each day on four continents in 14 cities. Launched in London in 1978, Asharq Al-Awsat has established itself as the decisive publication on pan-Arab and international affairs, offering its readers in-depth analysis and exclusive editorials, as well as the most comprehensive coverage of the entire Arab world.
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