MPA pays tribute to 'outstanding leadership' of Sir John Stevens

52/04
8 July 2004

Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir John Stevens, who has confirmed he will step down as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police on 31 January 2005, has displayed outstanding leadership in the most challenging times in the history of the Metropolitan Police Service said Len Duvall, newly elected Chair of the Metropolitan Police Authority.

Speaking after the announcement made by Sir John at the first meeting of the newly appointed MPA today, Len Duvall continued:

“The MPS has undergone massive change and reform in the last four years since the MPA came into being, and for the first time in its history it is publicly accountable. The Commissioner’s theme has been ‘new challenges, new thinking’ and his time in office certainly bears testament to this. Sir John has worked steadfastly alongside the Authority to help us deliver an efficient and effective police service for all Londoners and increase community trust and confidence in the police.

“Under his leadership, wide-ranging changes have been introduced in MPS.

“Police officer numbers are the highest ever at just over 30,000 and together with 1,600 Police Community Support Officers, the MPA and the Commissioner have delivered to Londoners what they told us they wanted most - more officers on the streets and to be able to feel safe as they go about their daily business.

“Sir John has also put in place the Safer Neighbourhood scheme. This will eventually see neighbourhood teams of dedicated officers, PCSOs and police staff, in each London borough, which will further enhance community confidence and safety.

“The Commissioner has had to deal with the highest level of terrorist threat our capital has ever experienced and it is an accolade to the diligence and resilience of his officers and staff that London has held fast against terrorist attack.

“The MPS has also made enormous progress in the last five years in dealing with race and diversity issues. There have been great strides to develop more responsive services to the diverse communities of London. At the same time, within the service visible ethnic minority police officers have more than doubled in the last five years. The recruitment of Police Community Support Officers has resulted in 29.8% of that workforce being female and 34.8% being from visible ethnic minorities, making PCSOs much more representative of the communities they serve. There are important lessons to be learnt from these successes for the whole of the service, but there is still much to be done in our drive to make the MPS truly reflect the diversity of our capital.

Len Duvall concluded:

“Sir John’s tenure as Commissioner has encapsulated both the tenacity and commitment of traditional policing and the far-reaching vision of a moderniser, alert to the needs of the most diverse capital city in the world. The MPA is pleased to have worked alongside him in our first term and his legacy will be a police service fit for the 21st century. “

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