London mayor thanks departing Met commissioner on final day

The mayor of London has thanked the Metropolitan Police commissioner on her final day in the job.

Dame Cressida Dick resigned after Sadiq Khan criticised her handling of racist, misogynist and homophobic messages shared by a group of officers based at Charing Cross police station.

Allegations of dishonesty, prejudice and incompetence dogged the force throughout her tenure.

Her resignation came hours after saying she had no intention of leaving.

In a statement, Mr Khan said: "I would like to thank Dame Cressida Dick again for almost four decades of dedicated public service, with the vast majority spent at the Met, where she was the first woman to become commissioner.

"In particular, I commend her for the recent work in helping us to bring down violent crime in London."

The Labour mayor added that he would not support the appointment of a new commissioner who "doesn't understand or acknowledge the scale of the challenge facing policing".

Scandals to hit the force include the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer, the jailing of two PCs who took pictures of the bodies of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, and the Daniel Morgan report which criticised the Met's failure to tackle corruption.

The report found Dame Cressida had personally obstructed access to documents that the inquiry panel believed to be important - a claim she rejected.

Dame Cressida penned a "Letter to London" at the end of last week in which she said she was "extremely optimistic about the Met's future".

She warned against the "politicisation of policing", saying this is "a threat not just to policing, but to trust in the whole criminal justice system".

"Operational independence from local and central government is crucial for an effective democracy and is a model respected around the world. We must all treasure and protect it," she wrote.

She will now take unused annual leave, with her final day of employment being 24 April.

The Met's Deputy Commissioner Sir Stephen House will serve as the force's acting commissioner while the recruitment process continues, with Dame Cressida's permanent successor expected to be appointed in the summer.

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