Cressida Dick welcomes chance to work ‘more closely’ with NCA following new director general appointment
The National Crime Agency has appointed a leadership triangle of former Metropolitan Police Service personnel in its second restructuring in just over a year.
MPS Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Rodhouse is joining the NCA as one of two newly-created positions that sit underneath Director General Lynne Owens.
Mr Rodhouse, who has led the response to gun and gang violence, homicide, online exploitation of children and organised crime during his eight years with the London force, is to join the agency as Director General (Operations).
He will effectively replace Deputy Chief Constable Matthew Horne who was seconded to the NCA last year from Essex Police as deputy director general (operations) but has since returned to his force.
The uprating of roles will see current Deputy Director General (Capability) Dr Nina Cope become the Director General (Capabilities).
All three worked at the MPS at the same time – Ms Owens was Assistant Commissioner between 2010 and 2012 and Dr Cope occupied a variety of service improvement-led roles including director responsible for strategy, transformation and performance and deputy director of intelligence and chief of staff.
Mr Rodhouse’s appointment – with a starting date likely to be June – has been welcomed by MPS Commissioner Cressida Dick as an opportunity for “even closer working between us and the NCA in keeping London safe”.
She believes the switch across the capital to the NCA is a “very natural move after all his work in Specialist Crime and Operations”, having taken on “some big challenges in his time with the Met”.
She praised him as a “great professional – hardworking, determined and a thoroughly decent and compassionate leader and colleague”.
During his time at the MPS, however, Mr Rodhouse found himself caught up in controversy – especially his association with the ill-fated Operation Midland and its investigation into a supposed Westminster VIP paedophile ring.
In November 2015, the Commons Home Affairs Select Committee (HASC) criticised the MPS’s decision to ask the Crown Prosecution Service to review the evidence in relation to Lord Brittan again, in the light of Mr Rodhouse admitting to MPs that the force’s further inquiries “had not strengthened the available evidence”.
The HASC report concluded that the MPS’s fear of criticism was not a “proper basis” for police decisions on whether to proceed with an investigation.
In March 2017, following the Sir Richard Henriques report on the MPS handling of Operation Midland, Mr Rodhouse was one of three officers criticised for believing allegations made by a complainant only known as ‘Nick’.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission found no evidence of “bad faith, malice or dishonesty” on behalf of Mr Rodhouse and the other officers and dropped its investigation.
On his pending move, Mr Rodhouse said he “looking forward” to the future in the NCA despite missing being part of the MPS. “I’ve really enjoyed the past eight years here,” he added.
Mr Horne returned to Essex Police in April as deputy chief constable despite being found guilty of three counts of misconduct in relation to claims of bullying his force colleagues. In January, he was told he would face “no further action” of formal sanctions despite a misconduct panel’s recommendations. He had denied all three allegations about his conduct on unknown dates between June 2015 and May 2016.
However, Essex Police told Police Professional on Thursday (May 17) he is now attached full time to a national piece of work on Regional Organised Crime Units on behalf of Chief Constable Andy Cooke, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on Serious and Organised Crime.
“That attachment is due to conclude in the early part of the summer,” the Essex statement added.
The last NCA restructuring was in April 2017 when it announced the appointment of five “exceptional” directors as part of programme of organisational change to focus on high-risk offending.
Mr Horne and Dr Cope were joined by Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable Nikki Holland as Director Investigations, Steve Smart as Director Intelligence and former vice-chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority Reshard Auladin as a non-executive director.
