New Met police chief vows to restore trust in beleaguered force as he is sworn in by the King
12 September 2022, 10:19 | Updated: 12 September 2022, 10:34
New Metropolitan Police commissioner Sir Mark Rowley has pledged to rebuild trust in the battered force as he swore allegiance to the King on his first day in the job
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The new Metropolitan Police commissioner also admitted policing the Queen's funeral would be a "massive challenge".
Sir Mark said this morning: "As your new Commissioner, I have sworn an oath to serve with fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality.
“In the next two weeks, I have two priorities. I will lead a Met that enables Londoners and visitors from all over the world to safely pay their respects to Her late Majesty The Queen.
“Second, as we continue to police local communities, we will begin the journey of reform to renew policing by consent.
“Through my leadership, I am determined to bring more trust, less crime and high standards, and build trust and confidence in our police service once more.”
Read More: New Met Police commissioner 'must get rid of a quarter of top officers', says report
Rowley was appointed by then-Home Secretary Priti Patel and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in July after the resignation of controversial predecessor Cressida Dick in February.
Around 750,000 people are expected to visit the Queen's coffin at Westminster Hall in Parliament as Britain's longest-serving monarch lies in state from Wednesday (September 14) until her state funeral next Monday (September 19).
More than 10,000 Met Police officers will be on the beat in London every day during the ten-day period of national mourning, which began late on Thursday and will conclude with the Queen's funeral.
Sir Mark told Sky News this morning: "It's a massive challenge for the Metropolitan Police and for me personally, but we have been preparing for many, many years.
"[But] I've been involved in some of that planning and I've been involved in a review recently."
Westminster Abbey will host the event next Monday at 11am.
Representatives from scores of countries - including US President Joe Biden, Japanese Emperor Naruhito and French President Emmanuel Macron - have confirmed they will attend.
Rowley must also navigate a police watchdog investigation into the alleged homicide of unarmed black man Chris Kaba by Met Police officers in Streatham Hill last week.
He was previously head of counter-terrorism at the National Police Chiefs' Council, serving from 2014 to 2018.
Sir Mark was knighted at the end of his tenure and briefly retired from the police, working in security for start-up firms.
Mr Kaba, 24, was shot and killed by a single bullet fired by a Met officer from a specialist firearms command as they sought to stop and contain the vehicle he was driving, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.
The car had been flagged up by an automatic number plate recognition camera as having been linked to a firearms incident in previous days, the watchdog added.
No firearm was found inside the vehicle.
Kaba, who was set to become a father within months, rapped under the stage name Mad Itch.
