The first female has been appointed Scotland Yard Commissioner in the force's 188 year history.

Cressida Dick, a former acting Deputy Commissioner at the Metropolitan Police, will take over from Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, who has held the post since 2011.

Ms Dick said: "I am thrilled and humbled. This is a great responsibility and an amazing opportunity. I'm looking forward immensely to protecting and serving the people of London and working again with the fabulous women and men of the Met.

"It is beyond my wildest dreams. An extraordinary privilege. I am very humbled.

"Thank you so much to everyone who has taught me and supported me along the way."


Ms Dick was one of the UK's most senior female police officers before leaving Scotland Yard to take up a highly sensitive security-related post within the Foreign Office in 2014.

Image: Undated police photo of Jean Charles de Menezes

Her return to lead the country's biggest police force is not without controversy, as she was the officer in charge of the flawed operation which led to the death of a young Brazilian man, Jean Charles de Menezes.

He was mistaken for a suicide bomber and shot dead by armed police in 2005.

The de Menezes family, who waged a sustained campaign for justice in the wake of the shooting, called for Ms Dick's application for Commissioner to be blocked.

Earlier this week, they told the Guardian newspaper: "As a family, we have always felt that those at the highest level, the commissioner and those in operational command, should be held responsible for the mistakes and for the misinformation and lies that were told by the police.

Cressida Dick's delight at being appointed Met Commissioner

"We cannot be expected to accept that the most senior police officer in the country, a post that is expected to uphold the highest standards of professionalism, to command public confidence and ultimately be responsible for ensuring that no police officer acts with impunity, be filled by someone that is clearly tainted by her failure to live up to any of those requirements."

Despite the family's opposition, the new Commissioner is highly regarded within the police service and seen as one of the foremost commanders of her generation.

Although an inquest jury delivered an open verdict over the death of Mr de Menezes, another jury at a subsequent health and safety prosecution said they believed there was "no personal culpability" for then Commander Dick after listening to her evidence.

Jack Straw says Cressida Dick should not be judged on the de Menezes case

The 56-year-old's appointment to the £270,000-a-year post will mean that for the first time, 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.

The appointment also comes at a time when both the Home Secretary and Justice Secretary posts are held by women.

The decision to appoint the new Scotland Yard Commissioner was made by Home Secretary Amber Rudd, in consultation with London mayor, Sadiq Khan, a former human rights lawyer.

As well as policing London, the Scotland Yard Commissioner has other key UK-wide responsibilities, such as counter-terrorism policing and Royal and diplomatic protection responsibilities.