The man who sought to dilute the race row between former Metropolitan police chief Sir Ian Blair and its assistant commissioner Tarique Ghaffur has been named as the next Metropolitan Police commissioner.
Sir Paul Stephenson, famous for telling everyone to “shut up” and get on with their job when the Met was embroiled in claims of race discrimination, will today officially take the top job in policing.
The choice has surprised some critics, as Sir Paul was in charge of the Met when it emerged that he had sanctioned the controversial arrest of Conservative MP Damian Green.
He has been acting in the post since Blair’s resignation last December after Boris Johnson took over the Metropolitan Police Authority following his election as London mayor.
Sir Paul said: “My agenda for the coming years is straightforward – it’s about cutting and solving crime, securing our streets, convincing all our communities that we are on their side and delivering the policing they want, and being intolerant of violence in any form.”
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A former chief constable of Lancashire Constabulary, Sir Paul is also known for having embarrassed his predecessor when he refused to accept a £25,000 bonus in October 2007, saying it would be inappropriate to do so when the criminal trial into the death of Jean Charles de Menezes was ongoing.
Sir Paul joined Lancashire Constabulary in 1975.
