Met police chief job applications close with at least four in the running

Home office refuses to confirm list but Sir Hugh Orde, Bernard Hogan-Howe, Tim Godwin and Stephen House in the race At least four police chiefs have applied to be the next commissioner of the Metropolitan police. The deadline for applications closed at midday Wednesday for the £260,000-a-year post. Those applying are: Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers; the temporary acting Met deputy, Bernard Hogan-Howe; and the acting Met commissioner, Tim Godwin. Stephen House, chief constable of Strathclyde police, is also believed to have applied. Neither the home office nor the Metropolitan Police Authority have released a list of those who have applied. A number of top officers declined to apply for the job. The chiefs of the second and third biggest forces in England decided against applying to become commissioner. Chris Sims of West Midlands and Peter Fahy of Greater Manchester police did not apply, neither did the chief constable of Thames Valley, Sara Thornton, despite being admired by David Cameron. Andy Trotter, head of British Transport police also decided against. House is seen as having performed well as head of Strathclyde police after leaving the Met, where he was an assistant commissioner. His force won praise in the aftermath of the riots for its pioneering work countering gangs and House is believed to have been asked by home office officials to apply. If he does not get the Met job, he would be the frontrunner to become the new chief of a single Scottish force. Sir Hugh Orde, who came second in the last application process for Met commissioner, would probably be the choice of the police service. He has been robust in defending the force against the government. However, his outspokenness is said to have annoyed the government, which will have a big say in who takes the top job. He formerly served as chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The temporary acting Met deputy Bernard Hogan-Howe, who was seconded into the force by the home secretary, Theresa May, after Sir Paul Stephenson was forced out over his errors of judgment in the phone-hacking scandal, is also said to be highly rated by the prime minister. Hogan-Howe is a former head of Merseyside police, where he was viewed as having performed well tackling crime and modernising the force. Tim Godwin, who is serving his second spell as acting Met commissioner, is seen as able, but the damage caused by the police’s alleged mishandling of its initial response to the riots has not helped his cause. He is known as having lots of ideas about policing issues – in January 2011 he decided to order the new police phone-hacking inquiry, which was credited with being more robust than previous Met investigations. The candidates will first be interviewed by an MPA panel, with the shortlisted candidates interviewed by the home secretary. Interviews are expected to take place within a fortnight. Explaining her decision not to apply, Sara Thornton in a statement said: “There has been much speculation over the last few weeks about whether I might make an application for the role of the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service. While it is flattering to be considered suitable for such an important role I have decided not to apply.” Whoever gets the job, which technically is awarded by royal appointment, will be come the third Met commissioner in the last three years. Under London mayor Boris Johnson’s administration, first Sir Ian Blair and then Sir Paul Stephenson, have resigned. Metropolitan police London Police Vikram Dodd guardian.co.uk

Posted by on August 17, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.