Met Police Federation Says 'Officers Have No Faith' in Mayor Khan After Cressida Dick's Resignation

Last Thursday, Cressida Dick announced her resignation, claiming that London Mayor Sadiq Khan "had left" her "no choice but to step aside as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service".

Chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation Ken Marsh has claimed that Met Police chief Cressida Dick's resignation reflects politicians "trying to use policing and the career of the country's most senior police leader to deflect from their own failings". The federation is a staff association representing more than 31,000 rank-and-file police officers in London.

Marsh told reporters that Dick had been reforming the culture of the police force before she was forced out of her job and that her resignation is "not a move we take lightly".

"Officers in London feel saddened and angry that the commissioner Cressida Dick has been pushed out in the way she has. She was reforming. She was changing. The culture is changing. We are deeply disappointed with the actions of the mayor", the Metropolitan Police Federation head said.

He pledged that the Metropolitan Police Federation will "continue to speak up for these courageous colleagues", adding, "they are being forgotten about by our elected mayor. Enough is enough. Officers have no faith in [London Mayor] Sadiq Khan".

Marsh underscored that the federation was "sickened" by the alleged incidents of racism, misogyny, and favouritism that have grabbed headlines over recent months, but that they were "not reflective of an entire workforce".

"We've got to put some context on what we are talking about. The incidents that have taken place are horrific. We do not want these individuals in the job. But the federation will continue to speak up for our good officers. We totally accept that we have to deliver for the public and work to improve confidence, but if you haven't got your workforce with you then you are not going to achieve what you're setting out to achieve", he added.

A spokesperson for London Mayor Sadiq Khan was quick to lash out at Marsh's remarks, stressing that "it was the mayor's view that a change of leadership was the only way to address this crisis in trust".

"The mayor has always made clear that there are thousands of incredibly brave and decent police officers at the Met who we owe a huge debt of gratitude. But the series of scandals seen in recent years has tarnished the reputation of the police, which is so crucial to policing by consent", the spokesperson added.

They were apparently referring to the scandals related to the police's handling of the Sarah Everard case. The latter was murdered by a serving Met officer, and a report, which exposed racist, misogynist, and homophobic messages exchanged by officers based at the Charing Cross police station. Additionally, the Met was slammed for being slow to investigate the reports of COVID rule-breaking parties on Downing Street in 2020 and 2021.

The spokesperson's comments followed Cressida Dick announcing in a memo last Thursday that she had decided to step down from her post after finding out that Mayor Khan, "no longer has sufficient confidence" in her leadership.

"He has left me no choice but to step aside as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service", Dick wrote in a statement, vowing that she will honour Khan's request to remain with the Met "for a short period to ensure the stability" of the force.

UK media outlets have since quoted unnamed sources as saying that a new Met Police commissioner "probably won't be actually at their desk until the summer" because "this is not a quick process".

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, for his part, praised Dick, stressing that he has known her "for many years" and that she "has played a remarkable role as the first female head of the Metropolitan Police".