Paul Stephenson appointed new Met Deputy Commissioner

Wednesday, 26 January 2005 12:00 AM

Paul Stephenson, the Chief Constable of Lancashire, has been appointed the new Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

He takes over as deputy from Sir Ian Blair, who will become the Metropolitan Police Commissioner on February 1.

Announcing the appointment, Home Secretary Charles Clarke said he was "pleased" by Mr Stephenson's appointment, adding: "I am confident that, with his impressive experience and ability, he will make an enormous contribution to policing in the capital."

Mr Stephenson is the first Deputy Commissioner to be elected under the Greater London Authority Act 1999. This involved a selection panel with the Metropolitan Police Authority's chair, one of the Home Office permanent secretaries, and other expert advisers.

Welcoming the appointment, MPA chair Len Duvall said: "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."

He added: "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."

Mr Stephenson said that the Met job was "one of very few that could have tempted me away from Lancashire."

And he added: "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."

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