London Metropolitan Police Chief Cressida Dick resigned from her post on Thursday after a conversation with the city’s mayor, Sadiq Khan. She left office saying in a statement that “it has become clear that the mayor no longer has enough confidence” in her leadership.
Khan reportedly said he was dissatisfied with the commissioner’s efforts to end episodes of racism and sexism at the institution. Last week, the Independent Office of Police Conduct (IOPC), a regulatory body, released the report of an investigation that uncovered misogynistic and discriminatory behavior and messages, as well as cases of sexual harassment by police officers.
Cressida was also under public pressure for the way she has been dealing with investigations into the so-called “partygate”, as the series of events held by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office became known while strict lockdown rules and restrictions on gatherings were in place. United Kingdom.
Prior to her resignation, the commissioner had told BBC London radio that she had no intention of stepping down as head of Scotland Yard, as the corporation is also known.
The content of the IOPC report was described by an IOPC director as shocking. “We believe that these incidents [descobertos pela investigação] are not isolated or simply the behavior of a few ‘rotten apples'”, the document says.
The investigations involve cases that occurred between 2016 and 2018 in the Metropolitan Police. The document brings examples of messages exchanged by police officers on apps in which they suggest rape, murder and make jokes about the Holocaust and black people, among other offenses.
In September last year, the rape and murder of executive Sarah Everard by a police officer at the institution shocked the country and was the trigger for protests against gender violence -Wayne Couzens, 48, was sentenced to life in prison.
Of four police officers investigated by the IOPC, two were fired and banned from the institution. Two others resigned and several suffered disciplinary action, according to the investigating entity. Nine continued to serve in the force.
Cressida Dick joined Scotland Yard in 1983 and rose to the rank of Chief Inspector within a decade. In 2005, she was the commander responsible for the action that resulted in the death of Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes, shot dead by police in the London Underground. In 2017, Cressida became the first woman to head the Metropolitan Police, an institution that is over 190 years old.
The corporation was also in the news in late January, when a report on the government’s internal investigation into the partygate was delayed following a request from the Metropolitan Police, which had opened a criminal investigation into Downing Street parties.
Doubts then arose about possible differences between the investigations, since Scotland Yard’s possibilities for action are not the same as Sue Gray, a government official in charge of the internal investigation.
There were rumors that one of the documents might have a makeup version of the scandals. At first, police denied any interference with Gray’s task, but on the 28th, they released a statement in which they admitted they had made requests that some critics felt could limit the scope of the government’s inquiry.
Gray’s report was released on the 31st, and pointed out “leadership and judgment failures” by members of management for allowing these events to take place. The text also criticizes the mistakes of those who are “at the heart of the government” — without citing Boris — and recommends policies to ban alcohol consumption in public service places and the creation of reporting channels for servers.
The investigation covers a total of 16 events between May 2020 and April 2021. In the report, Gray states, however, that he was unable to delve into some details of the parties due to Scotland Yard’s request.
“As a result of the Metropolitan Police’s investigations, and in order not to jeopardize the police investigative process, they told me that it would be appropriate to make only minimal reference to meetings on the dates they are investigating,” Gray explained. “Unfortunately, this means that it is currently not possible to provide a meaningful report that defines and analyzes the extensive factual information that I have been able to gather.”
Faced with the issue, the prime minister’s office has asked Gray to update his report when the investigation is complete — this new version would be publicly released, according to the government.
As a result of the scandals, Boris still saw a stampede in his office in the midst of the crisis that the case provided. Four close aides to the prime minister resigned last week, three of them directly linked to the partygate.
Despite seeing his approval ratings plummet since the revelations, Boris seems to envision that he will get out of the crisis scot-free or at least stay in office. In a meeting with his new Director of Communications, the British premier sang the pop classic “I Will Survive” (I will survive), by Gloria Gaynor.
Former PM John Major calls for Boris to resign
Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom John Major, 78, accused this Thursday (10) Boris Johnson of breaking the isolation rules against Covid-19 and called for the resignation of the current prime minister, if the accusations are proven and he has deceived Parliament with ‘blatant apologies’.
Speaking at the Institute for Government think tank, Major, who held the post from 1990 to 1997, said the Boris government has made “unbelievable” excuses to try to defend the politician.
“Brazen lies to Parliament have been fatal to political careers — and should always be,” he said. “In number 10 [sede do governo], the prime minister and officials broke the lockdown rules. Day after day, the public was asked to believe in the unbelievable.”
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