New DAC to coordinate CT policing

Dean Haydon has been promoted to deputy assistant commissioner and takes charge of coordinating counter terror activity, a role made vacant by the promotion of Neil Basu to MPS assistant commissioner.

Mr Basu took over as head of Specialist Operations from Mark Rowley in March.

Mr Basu said: “I am delighted to announce that Dean Haydon has been appointed as a deputy assistant commissioner and senior national coordinator for counter terrorism policing and offer my congratulations to him.

“Dean is one of, if not, the most experienced senior detectives in UK counter terrorism and major crime. He brings a wealth of operational and strategic wisdom to the role, which, from personal experience, I know is one of policing’s most demanding.

“His appointment will provide CT policing with the stability needed to continue with our work following the unprecedented year we experienced in 2017 and I look forward to working closely with him on this.”

Mr Haydon has been the head of the MPS’s Counter Terrorism (CT) Command since the end of 2015, leading it through unprecedented levels of demand, including the response and investigations into the terrorist attacks that took place in London last year.

He has over 30 years’ police service and has previously worked as the commander for specialist crime investigations and serious and organised crime, as well as being the head of the MPS’s Trident Gang Crime Command.

He is also a senior identification manager for disaster victim identification and, in September 2014, he travelled to Ukraine to manage and lead the UK response to the Malaysian air crash (MH17).

Mr Haydon said he feels extremely privileged to have been asked to carry out his new role.

“There is a fantastic group of extremely dedicated, skilled and professional officers and staff working across the counter terrorism network in the UK and I look forward to working with them to counter the threat we face from terrorism.”