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No women on shortlist to become next Met chief
Justin Davenport, Crime Correspondent17 Dec 2008
FOUR senior police officers – none of them women – have been shortlisted to be the next Metropolitan Police Commissioner.
On the list is the Met's Acting Commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, who was deputy to the former chief Sir Ian Blair.
The other three are:
● Sir Hugh Orde, chief constable of Northern Ireland;
● Bernard Hogan-Howe, Merseyside chief constable; and
● Sir Paul Scott-Lee, chief constable of the West Midlands.
Two woman applied for the £253,000-a-year post: Jane Stichbury, one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Constabulary, and Julie Spence, chief constable of Cambridgeshire.
They were the first women to apply to be Britain's top police officer, along with the first black man – Mike Fuller, chief constable of Kent and a former senior Met commander.
Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick also applied but was under pressure concerning the botched arrest of Tory MP Damian Green over Home Office leaks.
Reader views (8)
Well Kent has a rubbish police force, so I don't think they guy in charge of that should run anything bigger, whatever colour he is. But Cambridge has one of the lowest crime rates in the country: perhaps Julie Spence's comments about Eastern European immigrants creating loads of police work didn't do her any favours . . . ?!
- Roz, Chamonix, France, 18/12/2008 08:52
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Dhanraj, why? Just so the Met can hit more targets? Maybe Fuller, Spence and Stichbury are just not good enough yet. Including people because of their ethnicity and/or gender is not healthy and the sooner the loony left realise that the quicker this country can get back on the straight and narrow.
- East London Copper, London, Uk, 17/12/2008 22:58
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Heaven forbid - a PC short-list (in all its easily imagined stupidity). Its not an elected post - its supposed to be people who know the job, can do the job, and who are currently the most suited to the job. Its not supposed to be a wish list.
- Rogan, Irving, 17/12/2008 22:11
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Why should there have been a woman and Mike Fuller on the list? Because of their gender and race?
What about the skills and experience required to do the job.
That is all that counts, and the sooner we realise that the better.
- Mb, Bromley, 17/12/2008 21:39
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Four good candidates have been shortlisted clearly based on sensible decision making. Glad to see that political correctness has played no part. We need a good top cop who panders to no-one except the law.
- John, Basildon, 17/12/2008 20:37
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Hmmmmm - not very PC.
There should have been a woman, an approved minorities representative, a gay/lesbian representative, a children's advocate, a member from each political party (as long as they're Liberal), a save the whales activist, and a guaranteed place for a low income family too. And men? They always get the job so they can miss out this time - after all, its only fair, innit.
What's that you say? Qualifications? Who cares about inconsequential nonsense like that! Suitability for the job? Phooey!
Shocking. Really shocking.
- Rogan, Irving, 17/12/2008 19:22
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Dhanraj: "one woman and Mike Fuller (black applicant) should have been on that list."
Hasn't political correctness and positive discrimination already caused enough trouble in the Met? Surely they should pick the best people for the job regardless of colour, creed, gender and willingness to destroy the organisation through serial litigation?
- Janet, London, UK, 17/12/2008 19:15
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Who did the shortlisting? Johnson and his mob? One woman and Mike Fuller should have been on that list.
- Dhanraj, Basildon Essex, 17/12/2008 17:55
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