Dame Cressida Dick ‘to get two more years as head of Scotland Yard’
Dame Cressida Dick to get two more years as head of Scotland Yard: Priti Patel prepares to offer contract extension to Met Police chief despite string of controversies
Priti Patel is said to be arranging the extension and Sadiq Khan is supportive of itBut it hasn’t been finalised and there are fears Dame Cressida could turn it downAny move to keep her at the helm is likely to prove controversial after blunders
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Dame Cressida Dick is expected to be offered another two years as chief of the Metropolitan Police despite being blamed for a series of blunders, reports say.
Home Secretary Priti Patel is said to be arranging the extension while London Mayor Sadiq Khan is reportedly supportive of the move.
But it has not been finalised and there are fears Dame Cressida could turn down the £230,000-a-year role.
A source told MailOnline there was ‘no alternative’ to her and senior figures want to ‘use the time to make sure other candidates are ready’.
Any move to keep her at the helm is likely to prove controversial following a series of blunders recently.
She was panned for her officers’ heavy handling of the Sarah Everard vigil following the death of the 33-year-old at the hands of former Met policeman Wayne Couzens.
Scotland Yard was also slammed for its actions over the murder of Daniel Morgan in 1987, which has remained unsolved despite at least four police investigations.
Meanwhile the murder rate among teenagers has also soared, hitting 23 already this year and on course for a record annual death toll.
Dame Cressida Dick is expected to be offered another two years as chief of the Metropolitan Police despite being blamed for a series of blunders, reports say
Home Secretary Priti Patel (left) is said to be arranging the extension while London Mayor Sadiq Khan (right) is reportedly supportive of the move
Reacting to today’s news, a spokesman for pressure group Reclaim These Streets told MailOnline: ‘We are disappointed that there seems to not be any accountability for her failing the women of London.
‘However we aren’t surprised… Until there are real consequences for ineptitude, we stay in the same patterns that are rife with racism and misogyny.’
Despite Dame Cressida’s various controversies, Ms Patel and Mr Khan have have decided she should stay in the role, the Evening Standard reports.
It is believed there will be a formal announcement this month if Dame Cressida accepts the offer.
Another two years would mean she will have served as commissioner for twice as long as predecessor Lord Hogan-Howe.
The controversial police chief’s five-year contract ends in April but she is understood to want an extension in the top police job.
But there have been demands for her to step down and not be given any further time in the job. The Guardian reported last month a decision was ‘imminent’.
The Met chief has been caught up in a string of controversies including her handling of the Operation Midland scandal, her force’s woeful security operation at the Euro 2020 final and allegations of a ‘cover up’ culture at Scotland Yard.
In June, an official report branded the Met ‘institutionally corrupt’ and accused Dame Cressida of trying to thwart an inquiry into the unsolved murder of private eye Daniel Morgan. She has rejected the key findings.
Former Tory MP Harvey Proctor, who lost his home and job over the Met’s disastrous Operation Midland probe into spurious child sex abuse allegations, said last month: ‘She is a disgrace and should have resigned long ago.
‘It is time for her to go because of Operation Midland, not to be seeking any extension to her employment at the Met.’
Mr Proctor, who received £900,000 from the Met in compensation and legal costs over the fiasco, added: ‘I hold her culpable for her role in a severe waste of public funds which severely impacted a number of lives, including mine.’
Met assistant commissioner Neil Basu (pictured) is tipped to replace Dame Cressida when she stands down
Dame Cressida, 60, who was formally made a dame commander by Prince Charles this year, has indicated she was ‘happy’ to remain in the top job.
Speaking after the ceremony at St James’s Palace, she said: ‘I’m very focused on my job, I love my job, it’s a huge honour.’
The Mail has learned that a significant number of serving senior officers are deeply unhappy with Dame Cressida’s ‘hands off’ leadership style and her ‘head in the sand’ response to criticism of her and her inner circle.
Dame Cressida’s apparent determination to secure a contract extension poses a potentially tricky political problem for Mr Johnson, who may not want to be seen to be ousting Scotland Yard’s first female chief.
He was criticised in October 2008 when, in one of his first acts as London mayor, he fired gaffe-prone Met commissioner Sir Ian Blair – one of Dame Cressida’s remaining cheerleaders.
The PM dodged questions about her future in a radio interview last month.
Met assistant commissioner Neil Basu is tipped to replace Dame Cressida when she stands down.
