MPA appoints new Metropolitan Police Commanders

117/02
15 November 2002

The Metropolitan Police Authority has appointed six new commanders to the Metropolitan Police, all of whom will be appointed to senior posts.

They are: Chief Superintendent Chris Allison; Acting Commander Gary Copson; Chief Superintendent Rose Fitzpatrick; Superintendent Philip Gormley; Detective Chief Superintendent John McDowall; and Detective Chief Superintendent John Yates.

The officers were interviewed by a panel of six MPA members with Sir John Stevens, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, acting as police adviser. Catherine Crawford, Clerk to the MPA, was also in attendance.

MPA Chair Toby Harris, who led the promotion panel, said:

“On behalf of the Metropolitan Police Authority I wish to congratulate the successful candidates. Each impressed the selection panel with their tactical knowledge, strategic skills and previous experience.

“In their new roles they will play a significant part in policing one of the world’s most dynamic and diverse capitals. Policing London is a challenge that exacts the highest degree of professionalism and expertise from all serving officers, particularly in the current climate, and I am convinced that the candidates we have promoted will lead by example and promote confidence within our communities.”

Sir John Stevens said:

“The position of commander within the Metropolitan Police Service is tough and demanding and requires real dedication and commitment. I am confident that the right people have been chosen for these challenging posts.“

Notes to editors

1. Biographical Notes

Chris Allison

Chris Allison joined the Metropolitan Police Service in May 1984 and was posted to Walthamstow division, moving to Holloway on promotion to sergeant. In November 1990 he was promoted to inspector and moved to Bow Street where, over the next six years, he undertook a number of roles all based in central London – relief inspector, operations inspector, area planning inspector and territorial support group unit/operations inspector. In September 1996, he was promoted to chief inspector and posted to Hammersmith division as the criminal justice unit manager, with additional responsibility for policing at Queens Park Rangers. In May 1998 he became staff officer to the then deputy commissioner, Sir John Stevens, and remained in that role until moving to Paddington division as the divisional commander nearly two years later. He was promoted to chief superintendent In April 2001, leading operations for the City of Westminster. Chris is a member of the MPS public order cadre, is a security co-ordinator and a member of the MPS chemical biological radiological nuclear cadre.

Gary Copson

Gary Copson joined the Metropolitan Police aged 21 and was posted to Tottenham. In 1981 he was selected for CID and has spent much of his career as a detective. Between 1992 and 1996 he was engaged in a special Metropolitan Police scholarship, conducting post graduate research into the usefulness and validity of ‘offender profiling’. Since 1997 he has been an honorary lecturer in applied psychology with the University of Leicester. As a superintendent he served at Forest Gate, north west crime operational command unit, and SO5 child protection operational command unit. After the 2001 strategic command course he led the budget ‘star chamber’ advisory and support team and then designed the phase II implementation model for the new transport operational command unit. In June 2002 he was appointed as temporary commander, as a result of his selection as police adviser to the Prison Service.

Rose Fitzpatrick

Rose Fitzpatrick joined the police service in 1987 as a constable in the City of London Police. Over the next eleven years she served in the City in uniform operational posts at every rank up to chief inspector. During that period she left London only briefly, in 1993, to complete an exchange posting as a duty officer in Suffolk, and in 1995 to work as a staff officer in Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary. In 1998 Rose transferred to the Metropolitan Police Service as superintendent responsible for operational policing in Whitechapel, East London. In 1999 she took responsibility for operational policing across Tower Hamlets and became borough commander there in February 2000. She is now delighted to continue her police service in London in a new role.

Philip Gormley

Philip Gormley joined Thames Valley Police in October 1985 aged 22. During his seventeen years service he have gained substantial operational experience in criminal investigation and public order policing, alternating between uniform and detective roles in all ranks from sergeant to chief inspector. He served in Milton Keynes and Oxford for the majority of this time, but also worked in more rural areas. This combination of environments afforded him the opportunity to become involved in the policing of environmental/animal rights protest, football matches and the investigation of serious crime. In 1999 Philip became area commander for the newly formed police area of southern Oxfordshire. Over the following three years the area became one of the most improved in terms of crime performance and achieved Investors in People status, a unique accomplishment for a police area within the Thames Valley. During this period he was also involved in helping to develop the force’s strategic response to airwave and call handling.

John McDowall

John McDowall joined the Metropolitan Police Service as a graduate entrant in 1980. In 1984 he entered the CID for the first time. He has since served as a detective and as a uniformed officer in a variety of locations, predominantly in the London boroughs of Westminster, Lambeth and Southwark. These mainstream roles were punctuated by a six-month exchange with Surrey Constabulary as a uniformed inspector in 1989-90, and a two and a half year spell at the beginning of the 1990s on the then commissioner’s central staff. During this posting he took a masters degree at the University of London in organisational behaviour. In 1996 he was appointed detective superintendent to lead the south-east area crime squad. He worked there until 1997 when he became staff officer to the assistant commissioner specialist operations. In 1998, he was promoted to the role of operational command unit commander in the criminal intelligence branch which he commanded until attending the 2002 strategic command course.

John Yates

John Yates joined the Metropolitan Police Service in 1981, has spent the last decade as a detective in North and West London and been the Senior Investigating Officer on over 20 murders. As a Detective Superintendent John led the corruption enquiry into the activities of the south east regional crime squad based at East Dulwich (Operation Russia). This was the first corruption case to utilize the evidence of both a female supergrass and a detective supergrass, resulting in the imprisonment of six serving detectives. John was staff officer to the then commissioner Paul Condon 1999-2000, then served as borough commander for Barnet 2000-2001. He served as acting commander (crime), responsible for homicide and the specialist crime operational command unit 2001-2002.

2. The Metropolitan Police Authority has a role in the appointment, discipline and removal of senior Metropolitan Police officers.

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