MPA welcomes Met’s new Deputy Commissioner and appoints three new Assistant Commissioners

05/05
26 January 2005

The appointment today of Paul Stephenson as Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police has been welcomed by Metropolitan Police Authority Chair Len Duvall.

He said:

“On behalf of the MPA, I congratulate Paul on his thoroughly deserved selection and I am certain he will be a most worthy successor to Sir Ian Blair who takes over as Commissioner at the beginning of February.

“Paul has done an outstanding job as Chief Constable of Lancashire Constabulary and I am very pleased that Her Majesty the Queen and the Home Secretary have made this appointment.

“The MPA interviewed some exceptional candidates for this pivotal job from both within the Met and from constabularies elsewhere before forwarding our shortlist to the Home Secretary.

“Paul has enormous experience of policing and is credited with making Lancashire police one of the country’s most efficient, being placed in the top tier of police forces by Her Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary. He has also overseen a record growth in police numbers and burglaries falling to an all-time low, which mirrors London, albeit on a smaller scale. His abilities will be particularly important as we move steadily towards citizen and community focused policing. At a time of unprecedented growth in police numbers, coupled with the advance of neighbourhood policing, Paul is the ideal person to help us make London the safest major city in the world.”

Paul Stephenson said:

“I am very much looking forward to my new role with the Metropolitan Police Service. The Met is perhaps the most famous police service in the world and the job is one of very few that could have tempted me away from Lancashire.

“There are undoubtedly challenges ahead, both for the Met and all other police forces, not least of all in terms of balancing the need for crime reduction and detection with the delivery of personable policing services at neighbourhood level. Giving the public the chance to access and influence policing services and be provided with answers is key to this delivery.”

The Metropolitan Police Authority has appointed three assistant commissioners who join the Metropolitan Police senior management board. They are Stephen House and Alan Brown, promoted from deputy assistant commissioners in the Met, and Andy Hayman, currently Chief Constable of Norfolk Constabulary.

Notes to editors

Biographical details

Paul Stephenson

Mr Stephenson (51) joined Lancashire Constabulary in 1975, and with the exception of a two-year stint in the research and development department, has always worked in uniform operations. He was promoted to superintendent in February 1988, and in 1992 was seconded for six months to the Royal Ulster Constabulary.

He was appointed assistant chief constable with Merseyside Police in October 1994 and during that time had overall responsibility for operational and territorial command and led the portfolio dealing with marketing and communication.

On 1st May 1999, he was appointed deputy chief constable at Lancashire Constabulary with responsibility for operations and operational support. He has also had responsibility for the strategic development of the constabulary, particularly in the areas of best value, crime reduction and the development of the community and race relations strategy. He became chief constable in 2002.

He is a leader in the field of problem oriented policing, firmly embedding this as the policing style throughout the constabulary. Work in this area has seen him become an affiliate to the Centre of Problem Oriented Policing (USA).

Mr Stephenson was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in May 2000. He represents the Association of Chief Police Officers as head of their crime business area, and working with a number of portfolio leads and expert groups, co-ordinates professional advice and guidance on crime related issues to the police service and its stakeholders.

Until recently, he has been the chair of both the Lancashire Criminal Justice Board and the Lancashire Strategic Partnership.

Alan Brown

Mr Brown has 30 years service and joined the MPS as a cadet in 1974. He was promoted sergeant after four years and served in every rank in CID up to and including detective superintendent. He also had uniform experience as an inspector for just over a year. He was promoted to chief superintendent in 1997 taking over command of Brompton division for eighteen months. In November 1999 he was promoted to commander in specialist operations where he served for a short time before being appointed as commander in the serious crime group. On 9 June 2003, he was appointed to his current position DAC specialist projects (deputy to assistant commissioner, specialist crime).

Andy Hayman Mr Hayman has 26 years service and joined Essex Police in 1978, where he served as a uniformed officer and a detective constable. In November 1985 he was promoted to sergeant and rose to the rank of superintendent over the next ten years. He was promoted to chief superintendent in June 1997. In November 1998 he was appointed commander in the MPS and given responsibility for drugs, crime and complaints investigations. In February 2001 until December 2002, Mr Hayman served as deputy assistant commissioner (director of professional standards) and also acted as deputy to the deputy commissioner. He has been in his current role since December 2002 as chief constable of Norfolk Police

Stephen House

Mr House joined Sussex Police in February 1981 and remained there until February 1988 when he transferred to Northampton on promotion to the rank of sergeant. At Northampton he gained varied experience over three ranks including uniformed patrol, chief constable’s staff officer, shift Inspector, corporate planning and deputy divisional commander. He spent six month’s operational experience in the MPS. He transferred to West Yorkshire Police in December 1994 on promotion to the rank of superintendent. In January 1996 he was appointed as divisional commander in Bradford central division. In March 1998 he was appointed as an assistant chief constable in Staffordshire where he spent four years dealing with territorial policing and the crime and operational support portfolios. In December 2001 he was appointed as deputy assistant commissioner in the MPS, with responsibility for corporate planning, performance, risk management and internal consultancy and inspectorate. In May 2003 he was appointed designated deputy assistant commissioner in territorial policing.

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