MPA welcomes appointment of Sir Paul Stephenson as new Commissioner

04/09
28 January 2009

Commenting on the announcement today that Sir Paul Stephenson has been appointed Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, Kit Malthouse, Vice Chair of the MPA said:

“In Sir Paul Stephenson we have a new Commissioner with an impressive record of tackling crime, successfully leading a large police force and working to improve the relationship between the police and the public.

“I have no doubt that with Sir Paul at the helm of the country’s biggest police force, we will take back the streets, make the capital safer for our kids and improve the everyday quality of life across London. I am pleased that we have a Commissioner who the Mayor, Home Secretary, Prime Minister and the Metropolitan Police Authority can stand foursquare behind.

“On behalf of all the Members of the Metropolitan Police Authority I congratulate Sir Paul on his thoroughly deserved appointment as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. We are delighted that HM The Queen and the Home Secretary endorsed our recommendation and the representations from Boris Johnson in his capacity as Mayor of London.

“The calibre of all the applicants was outstanding.”

Notes to editors Sir Paul Stephenson: biographical details

Sir Paul was awarded the Queen's Policing Medal for services to policing in May 2000 and received a knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours list last June. He joined the Lancashire Constabulary in 1975 and worked his way up the ranks to Divisional Commander (Supt) in 1994, when he moved to Merseyside Police as Assistant Chief Constable.

Here he targeted organised crime related gun violence, street disorder and police corruption. He also commanded the Grand National which was then subject to repeated terrorist threats.

He remained in post until September 1999, when he returned to Lancashire police as Deputy Chief Constable. Here he implemented the ‘problem orientated policing’ model, led the service’s response to the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry Report and ensured Lancashire police service was identified as one of the three national pilot sites for the National Intelligence Model, the code of practice that underpins the UK intelligence led policing model.

Sir Paul progressed to Chief Constable of Lancashire police service in July 2002, when he embedded changes in the service which remain today and continue to sustain Lancashire constabulary’s standards of excellence. He instigated service programmes to reverse declining confidence following police contact and delivered policing to communities through a network of dedicated beat managers, PCSOs and volunteers. He also reduced stop-search disproportionality and achieved minority ethnic recruitment targets.

In March 2005 Sir Paul moved to the Met as Deputy Commissioner where he has been committed to organisational improvement, and a focussed productivity programme which has released £300 million to finance transformational change. Since December 2008 he has been Acting Commissioner.

He is also a member of ACPO Cabinet and Council, as well as NPIA board member and policing lead for the Design and Technology Alliance, both Home Secretary appointments.

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