Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley swears allegiance to His Majesty The King

Sir Mark was formally appointed to the post of Commissioner in July by Her late Majesty the Queen following a recommendation by the Home Secretary.

He was joined by Deputy Commissioner Dame Lynne Owens who also took her oath and swore allegiance to His Majesty the King.

Under UK law, all serving police officers must take the oath, also known as an attestation, in which they swear to “well and truly serve the King in the office of constable, with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect to all people.”

Speaking after his attestation, Sir Mark said: “I join the nation in sorrow at the death of Her late Majesty The Queen and share my condolences with His Majesty The King and The Royal Family. Her late Majesty’s unstinting public service, stoicism in times of turbulence and dedication to the people she served has shaped our nation immensely.

“As your new Commissioner, I have sworn an oath to serve with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality. In the next two weeks, I have two priorities. I will lead a Met that enables Londoners and visitors from all over the world to safely pay their respects to Her late Majesty The Queen.

“Second, as we continue to police local communities, we will begin the journey of reform to renew policing by consent. Through my leadership, I am determined to bring more trust, less crime and high standards, and build trust and confidence in our police service once more.”

Ken Marsh, chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said he has had “very positive” conversations with the new Commissioner.

He said: “I’ve had several conversations with [Sir Mark] as you would fully expect, as I speak on behalf of my colleagues, and the overtures in the conversations have been very positive.

“There are things he is going to have to do, and things he is going to have to change.”

Mr Marsh said he accepted “there are failings in the Met” and that he will support the Commissioner in making the necessary changes.

Asked what the new Commissioner’s job should be, he said: ‘The first thing I hope he takes on is to reassure the 99.99 per cent of our workforce who work tirelessly and do an incredible job that to be lambasted from pillar posts, by a certain individual and others, is not correct.”