White, male field likely in search for new Met head as frontrunner steps aside

A frontrunner to be the next Metropolitan police commissioner has said she will not apply, leaving a former top cop turned thriller-writer as one of the favourites for the role.

Lynne Owens was the previous director general of the National Crime Agency and stood down last year to focus on her treatment for cancer. On Tuesday she wrote on Twitter that she had spent weeks considering whether to apply for the post of Britain’s top officer, but her decision was not health related.

Applications close on Wednesday for the £290,000-a-year post, which became vacant after the resignation of Cressida Dick following a series of scandals.

Owens was an assistant commissioner in the Met, and then became the chief constable of Surrey. There she succeeded Mark Rowley, who has now emerged as one of the frontrunners to be Met commissioner.

Rowley is a former head of counter-terrorism, who left policing in 2018. In the meantime, he has worked in the private sector, co-authored a report on extremism, and recently co-authored a thriller based on a female detective fighting terrorist violence.

Also likely to apply is Shaun Sawyer, the chief constable of the Devon and Cornwall force, who has previously served as a commander in Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command.

Since Dick’s departure was announced in February, potential applicants have been in touch with officials at the Home Office and the London mayor’s office. The next commissioner will be appointed by the home secretary, Priti Patel, who by law has to take account of the views of London’s mayor, Sadiq Khan, who is also the police and crime commissioner for London.

Both government and City Hall believe the Met needs radical reform to boost falling public confidence, sapped by a series of scandals and concern about how the force’s leadership dealt with them.

Officials are said to be interested in an application from Andy Marsh, chief executive of the College of Policing, which sets standards for law enforcement. He has been the chief constable of Avon and Somerset and, before that, the Hampshire force.

Among senior officers in the Met, assistant commissioner Nick Ephgrave, also another former chief constable of Surrey, may be considering a run. Matt Jukes, head of counter-terrorism and former chief of South Wales police, has also been considering applying. But he may sit this competition out and be a strong contender to be deputy commissioner and the heir apparent next time.

Assistant commissioner Neil Basu, once seen as a strong contender to succeed Dick, has been discouraged by reports the government dislikes him for his comments on race, and is expected not to apply. He would have been the first ethnic minority Met commissioner. But he is understood to be among the final two candidates to be the next director general of the NCA. The process to appoint to this role is taking longer than expected, and the final two candidates are yet to go through the final stage, which is an interview with Patel.

Owens’ decision not to apply means the field is likely to be male and white. Olivia Pinkney, chief constable in Hampshire, is not applying, and Lucy D’Orsi, chief of British Transport Police and before that a Met veteran, only recently took charge of the force that patrols Britain’s railways.

Applications will be sifted to create a shortlist of four or five candidates, it is believed, with interviews scheduled for three weeks’ time. The would-be Met commissioners will have to complete interactive assessments and other tests.

Announcing her decision not to stand, Owens wrote on Twitter: “I’m so grateful for the support I’ve had as I’ve worked through my decision.

“I do not intend to talk about my rationale other than to say it is not health related & I am actively looking for my next career challenge! I wish candidates every success – policing will always hold my heart.”