Sir Paul takes helm amid political storm
Sir Paul Stephenson has taken charge of the Metropolitan Police Service and immediately found himself at the centre of the political storm over the arrest of opposition front bench MP Damian Green.
Sir Paul Stephenson has taken charge of the Metropolitan Police Service and immediately found himself at the centre of the political storm over the arrest of opposition front bench MP Damian Green.
Sir Paul was temporarily promoted following the resignation of Sir Ian Blair and remains the frontrunner to take over permanently when his successor is appointed in the spring.
However, commentators are now suggesting Sir Paul has opened up the race by sanctioningthe arrest of the shadow Home Affairs spokesman. He has already faced tough questioning over the issue from Conservative Mayor of London and chair of the Metropolitan Police Association (MPA) Boris Johnson.
Sir Paul will face other immediate challenges including reducing the teenage murder numbers and combating the terror threat.
Also thought to be in the running to take over from Sir Ian on a permanent basis are the chief constable of Northern Ireland Sir Hugh Orde, chief constable of Merseyside Bernard Hogan-Howe, West Midlands Chief Constable Sir Paul Scott-Lee and Cambridgeshire Chief Constable Julie Spence.
Sir Hugh and Ms Spence have both confirmed that they met Mondays deadline for applications.