While Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, praised Dame Cressida, saying she had “exemplified the increasingly diverse nature of our police”.
In a statement, she said: “I’d like to thank Dame Cressida for the nearly four decades of her life that she has devoted to serving the public, latterly as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.
“She would be the first to say that she has held the role during challenging times; yet for nearly five years she has undertaken her duties with a steadfast dedication to protecting our capital city and its people – including during the unprecedented period of the pandemic.
“Leading the Met has also involved driving our national counter terrorism capability at a time of multiple threats while as the first woman to hold the post, she has exemplified the increasingly diverse nature of our police and demonstrated that all can aspire to hold leadership roles in policing in this country today.”
Dame Cressida should have been given opportunity ‘to build back trust’
Ken Marsh, Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: “The Metropolitan Police Federation – and The Metropolitan Police officers we represent – are saddened at the news Commissioner Cressida Dick is leaving her role.
“This is of course a challenging time for the Metropolitan Police Service. But policing and police officers are an easy target for critics who have never spent a day in our shoes or dealt with the daily challenges we face.
“Whilst the Federation did not always agree with Commissioner Cressida Dick, we think she was doing a good job in difficult circumstances. She genuinely cares about London, its citizens and – importantly from our perspective – her officers and their families.
“Her removal leaves a void in the leadership of London and UK policing at what is a critical time.
“Cressida Dick should have been given the opportunity and the necessary time to build back trust in the Metropolitan Police Service. She has been denied that. She should have been treated better.
“We will now – like all Londoners – await to see who politicians deem fit to lead the Metropolitan Police Service in 2022 and beyond. And to see who is willing to take up that challenge.”
