Sir Mark Rowley appointed as new Metropolitan Police Commissioner

Sir Mark was formally appointed by Her Majesty the Queen following a recommendation from the Home Secretary, after a highly competitive recruitment process. Representations from the Mayor of London were considered by the Home Secretary as part of this recommendation.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Sir Mark Rowley is a distinguished and exceptionally experienced police officer, having served the people of the West Midlands and Surrey before guiding the capital through some of its most challenging moments in the wake of the 2017 terror attacks, as the Met’s then head of counter-terrorism.

“He now takes on one of the most important and demanding jobs in policing, leading the country’s largest force at a time when public trust in the Metropolitan Police has been severely undermined by a number of significant failings. Rebuilding public trust and delivering on crime reduction must be his priority.

“This will be a challenging period, but with a focus on tackling neighbourhood crime and delivering the basics of policing, Sir Mark is committed to tackling the significant challenges confronting the force and to making London’s streets safer by driving down crime and bringing more criminals to justice.

“As the largest police force in the country, we have supported the Met to recruit 2,599 extra police officers and increased their annual policing budget to £3.24 billion in 2022/23. I look forward to working closely with Sir Mark to ensure this investment drives essential change to ensure the force delivers for the people of London.”

Responding to his appointment, Sir Mark Rowley said: “I feel deeply honoured to be appointed to be the next Metropolitan Police Commissioner. Our mission is to lead the renewal of policing by consent which has been so heavily dented in recent years as trust and confidence have fallen.

“I am grateful that the Home Secretary and Mayor are both determined to support the urgent reforms we need to deliver successful community crimefighting in today’s fast moving world. These reforms include our use of technology and data, our culture and our policing approach. We will fight crime with communities – not unilaterally dispense tactics.

“I also know that the majority of officers and staff retain an extraordinary sense of vocation and determination and want us to do better. It is my job to help them do that, whilst also being ruthless in removing those who are corrupting our integrity.

“We will deliver more trust, less crime and high standards for London and beyond and we will work with London’s diverse communities as we together renew the uniquely British invention of ‘policing by consent’.”

The date of Sir Mark’s first day in the role will be confirmed in due course.

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “The Home Secretary and I have agreed that Sir Mark Rowley is the best person to lead the Metropolitan Police as the new Commissioner at this extremely challenging time.

“A series of appalling scandals have not only exposed deep cultural problems within the Met, but have contributed to a crisis of confidence in London’s police service. Sir Mark has made clear to me that he is determined to be a reforming Commissioner, committed to implementing a robust plan to rebuild trust and confidence in the police and to drive through the urgent reforms and step change in culture and performance Londoners deserve. As Mayor, I will support and hold him to these promises as I continue to hold the Met to account.

“Sir Mark has demonstrated to me that he is the outstanding candidate for this role. He brings a wealth of great experience to the position, including exceptional leadership during the 2017 terror attacks and a genuine commitment to increasing engagement with diverse communities across our city. The experience he has gained outside policing over the last four years will also bring a valuable new perspective to the Met. Above all, he is committed to policing by consent and shares my ambition to get to a place where all Londoners feel protected and served, and where we have a police force that everyone – including the many brave and dedicated officers in our city – can be proud of.

“I look forward to supporting Sir Mark Rowley and working closely with the Home Secretary as we work to restore trust and confidence in the police, ensure that the Met gets the basics of policing right, and build on the significant success we have made in driving down violence and crime in our city.”

Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service Sir Stephen House added: “I would like to congratulate Sir Mark Rowley QPM on his appointment as Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.

“Anyone who knows Sir Mark will be aware that he brings extensive policing experience from both inside and outside London, which I have no doubt will benefit London and Londoners.”

National Police Chiefs’ Council chair Martin Hewitt said: “I would like to send my congratulations to Sir Mark Rowley on his appointment as the new Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

“Mark is a very capable officer with a huge amount of experience in policing, both within the Met and outside of it. I look forward to once again working closely with him as he takes on the role and the challenges that lie ahead.”

Responding to the news Susan Hall AM, chair of the London Assembly Police and Crime Committee, said: “The London Assembly Police and Crime Committee would like to congratulate Sir Mark Rowley QPM on being appointed as the new Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

“We regularly questioned Sir Mark in his previous role as Assistant Commissioner and look forward to working with him again as we continue the important work of holding the force and the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime to account.
“He is taking over at a difficult time. There is a crisis of confidence in the Met and it is vital that the new Commissioner gets to grips with addressing these issues as a matter of urgency.

“We trust that the recent decision by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary to place the force under Engage will support him in overseeing the culture change and delivering an improvement plan the Met needs.”

Labour’s London Assembly Policing and Crime spokesperson, Unmesh Desai AM, said: “My congratulations go to Sir Mark Rowley, who will now succeed Dame Cressida Dick as the new Met Commissioner.

“There is no escaping the fact that the Met faces a multitude of challenges- not just in terms in cleaning up some of the toxic parts of its culture but also when it comes to turning around the failures that have been exposed in its day-to-day performance and operations.

“At this critical juncture, the new Commissioner must hit the ground running. I want to see him bring his extensive experience working in senior and specialist roles across policing units and forces, into leading the Met Police to a place where it can regain the full trust and confidence of Londoners.

“I now look forward to his first appearance at the London Assembly Policing and Crime Committee, where I will be questioning him on his priorities and the strength of his plans to improve policing in London.”

Police Federation of England and Wales national chair Steve Hartshorn said: “I congratulate Sir Mark Rowley on his appointment as the new Met Commissioner.

“He takes charge at a crucial time for policing and, together with my colleagues in the Metropolitan Police Federation, I look forward to working with him.”