Met Deputy Commissioner Dame Lynne Owens to retire
The 56-year-old was brought in to help clean up the London force at arguably one of the most troubled times in its history.
One of the UK’s most senior police officers is to retire in late May.
Dame Lynne Owens, Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, announced her intention to leave the job on Tuesday.
The 56-year-old was brought in to help clean up the force at arguably one of the most troubled times in its history.
Public confidence had been damaged in the wake of the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer, while another was unmasked as a serial rapist.
There were also scandals over deeply offensive WhatsApp messages exchanged by groups of officers, and in a separate case two were jailed for sharing graphic photos of two sisters who had been murdered.
Dame Lynne joined the police service as a constable in the Met in 1989, later becoming the first female chief constable of Surrey Police.
She was also director-general of the National Crime Agency, but left the role in 2021 while recovering from cancer, returning to the Met in 2022.
She said: “It has been an honour and privilege to return to the Met to support (Commissioner) Sir Mark (Rowley) in making the changes that were needed, and which crucially were wanted by our officers and staff.
“I am proud of the progress we have made and our people deserve so much credit for their role in identifying what needed to be done and then delivering that for Londoners.
“Of course, there remains much, much more to do and I know my successor, once appointed, will build on what we have achieved so far.”
The Met has recently been brought out of a form of special measures by watchdog His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said:“Dame Lynne Owens is one of the most talented and dedicated police officers of her generation. Her commitment to communities, officers and staff is unwavering and illustrated by her determination to step back into policing months after recovering from cancer, when the Met was at a critical moment.
“Her contribution to policing is astonishing and cannot be under-estimated. Dame Lynne has achieved so much in public life, particularly as director-general of the National Crime Agency and as Chief Constable of Surrey.
“She has shown her relentless passion for policing by playing a pivotal role in leading the officers and staff of the Met to improve our service to Londoners. This has culminated in our exit from ‘special measures’ as accredited by HMICFRS.
“Dame Lynne is unique in having both an unparalleled eye for detail and an ability to exude compassion and empathy for all colleagues.
“I hugely admire Dame Lynne, and I am profoundly grateful personally and professionally for her immense support working together over the past two-and-a-half years. London has a far better police service because of her.”
London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan said: “I want to thank Dame Lynne Owens for her decades of public service in senior roles in the Met, Surrey Police and National Crime Agency.
“Her experience and insight as Deputy Commissioner have helped put the Met on a clear path of reform and she has played an instrumental role in delivering improvements to the service all Londoners receive from the police.”
