Alumnus appointed as new Metropolitan Police Commissioner

Sir Mark Rowley QPM (1983, Mathematics) has been formally appointed as the new Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service by Her Majesty the Queen following a recommendation from the Home Secretary, after a highly competitive recruitment process. Representations from the Mayor of London were considered by the Home Secretary as part of this recommendation.

Responding to his appointment, Sir Mark commented:

“I feel deeply honoured to be appointed to be the next Metropolitan Police Commissioner. Our mission is to lead the renewal of policing by consent which has been so heavily dented in recent years as trust and confidence have fallen.

“I am grateful that the Home Secretary and Mayor are both determined to support the urgent reforms we need to deliver successful community crimefighting in today’s fast moving world. These reforms include our use of technology and data, our culture and our policing approach. We will fight crime with communities – not unilaterally dispense tactics.”

Sir Mark was Chief Constable of Surrey Police for four years (2008–11) before joining the Metropolitan Police Service in 2011. He was a former Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Crime and Operations of the Metropolitan Police Service (2011–14), and then National Police Chiefs' Council Lead for Counter-Terrorism (2014–18). He was knighted in 2018 for his exceptional contribution to national security and national leadership at a time of unprecedented threat. Since leaving policing in 2018 he has worked in specialist security projects and on technology/data led transformation with start-ups and the world’s largest professional services company.

Home Secretary Priti Patel said:

“Sir Mark Rowley is a distinguished and exceptionally experienced police officer, having served the people of the West Midlands and Surrey before guiding the capital through some of its most challenging moments in the wake of the 2017 terror attacks, as the Met’s then head of counter-terrorism.

“He now takes on one of the most important and demanding jobs in policing, leading the country’s largest force at a time when public trust in the Metropolitan Police has been severely undermined by a number of significant failings. Rebuilding public trust and delivering on crime reduction must be his priority."

The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan added:

“The Home Secretary and I have agreed that Sir Mark Rowley is the best person to lead the Metropolitan Police as the new Commissioner at this extremely challenging time... Sir Mark has demonstrated to me that he is the outstanding candidate for this role. He brings a wealth of great experience to the position, including exceptional leadership during the 2017 terror attacks and a genuine commitment to increasing engagement with diverse communities across our city."

The date of Sir Mark’s first day in the role will be confirmed in due course.