Despite persistent calls for her resignation, it was still a surprise when Cressida Dick finally stepped down as Metropolitan police commissioner this week. Just hours before, she had talked publicly of her plan to tackle the racism and misogyny uncovered in the Charing Cross investigation, but it appears her plan was deemed insufficient, leading to her resignation instead.
"It is clear that the mayor no longer has sufficient confidence in my leadership to continue", Cressida Dick explained. Sadiq Khan had not shied away from condemning the commissioner's inaction, echoing a large portion of public opinion when out of the 14 officers investigated, nine remained in service and two were even promoted.
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Khan spoke to The Voice about the acute need to rebuild "trust and confidence" in the police, particularly for Black Londoners who are among the most disenfranchised from the most recent scandals, and thoughout history. The police must always be on the side of the community, Khan says.
In 2020, figures showed that young Black men were stopped and searched more than 20,000 times in London alone, equivalent to over a quarter of all Black 15-24-year-olds. It is little surprise therefore that large numbers of Londoners do not have faith in the police, but instead distrust and fear. Khan will now "work closely with the home secretary" to appoint a new commissioner, with drastic police reform as a key goal. |
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