Met Chief Cressida Dick is speaking at the University of Birmingham this month

She will address topics including violence against women

3 years ago

The Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Dame Cressida Dick will give a speech at the University of Birmingham.

The free lecture is being held on Wednesday 27 October at 18.00 in the Bramall Music Building.

Cressida Dick will discuss modern-day policing, how technology is used to tackle violence against women, and online offending.

Cressida Dick will be giving a lecture to students and staff as part of ‘The Vice-Chancellor’s Distinguished Lecture Series’, which explores a range of social, scientific, cultural and political issues. She will draw on her 35 years of experience working in public service, which has included leadership roles in the Metropolitan Police, Thames Valley Police, the National Police College and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. These roles have involved overseeing numerous high-profile cases involving serious crime, organised crime, security and protection, and major incidents in London.

The police chief is the first woman and first openly gay person to be appointed the Metropolitan Police Commissioner in its 190 year history. The Met is the UK’s largest police service.

The Police Commissioner has come under fire recently for the Met’s handling of the murder case of Sarah Everard, and the identification of her killer, Wayne Couzens, who was a serving Metropolitan Police officer at the time of his crimes.

Cressida Dick has faced several calls to resign from politicians after it was revealed that Couzens, who abducted, raped and murdered Sarah Everard, was not only a police officer of 16 years, but had been accused of indecent exposure by female colleagues in 2015 and in the days before the murder. Couzens was also allegedly referred to as “the rapist” by former colleagues at the Civil Nuclear Constabulary.

Following the sentencing of Wayne Couzens, outside the trial the police chief said: “There are not words that can fully express the fury and overwhelming sadness we all feel for what happened to Sarah. I am truly sorry.”

The force and their commissioner faced further criticism over their handling of the vigil in her memory in Clapham Common, which saw women and police clash and several women being handcuffed and forcibly removed. A later report judged the Met to have acted “appropriately.”

The Commissioner has subsequently announced a full review by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into Met policing, telling the BBC that a “high profile, independent person” will lead the inquiry into the Met’s “internal culture, professional standards, systems, processes, leadership, training to make sure we are the best possible Met police force we can be.”

She explained that she was “absolutely determined” to repair relations between the police force and the public.

“In this country policing is done by consent and undoubtedly the killing of Sarah and other events has damaged public trust.”

“I’ve got a difficult job to do, I’m getting on with it, my job now is to lead the Met through a difficult time,” she told the BBC.

Tickets are available for free from the University of Birmingham Events Team.