A police officer who started his career on the beat on Brighton is to take charge of the Metropolitan Police with the departure of Commissioner Cressida Dick.
Deputy Commissioner Sir Stephen House, 64, will step up as Acting Commissioner when Dame Cressida, 61, leaves the Met next Sunday (10 April).
Sir Stephen joined Sussex Police in 1981 and served in Brighton where he was involved in the aftermath of the Grand hotel bombing in 1984.
He said that he was not “particularly good” and “a bit too judgmental” as an officer on the beat – and lacked maturity and empathy in his early career.
He was promoted to Sergeant in 1988 on joining Northamptonshire Police, working his way up through the ranks in West Yorkshire, Staffordshire and the Met before becoming Chief Constable of Strathclyde.
He was knighted in 2013 – the year after he became the first Chief Constable of the Police Service of Scotland but his time in the post was beset by controversy.
Sir Stephen resigned after a report criticised the force over its response to a car crash on the M9 motorway.
Two people died – John Yuill, 28, and his 25-year-old partner Lamara Bell – but they were not found for three days.
The crashed car had been spotted and reported to the police and, when found, Miss Bell was still alive although she died later.
He was effectively sacked over the incident by Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, according to her former special adviser, Noel Dolan, speaking to the authors of a book published last year.
Sir Stephen was supposed to have operational independence but he left his post in circumstances which could be said to have foreshadowed those surrounding Dame Cressida’s resignation.
Last month he criticised the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan for forcing Dame Cressida out without following due process and contrary to the steps laid down in law.
He also wrote to the Home Secretary Priti Patel asking her to review how the Commissioner was ousted – and a review will be held.
It will be undertaken by Sir Tom Winsor, 64, who retired as Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services on Thursday (31 March)
Few believe that the former Brighton bobby will be anything more than an interim in Britain’s top policing job but he may have ensured that the next Commissioner has better job security.
