The new Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Sir Mark Rowley, faces big challenges in his first week in office. The state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II will be at the top of his agenda, but also improving the reputation of the force.

The Met was heavily criticised following the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving policeman and the sharing of racist and sexist group chat messages by officers at Charing Cross police station. Public trust in the force was strained even further last week when an unarmed black man, Chris Kaba, was fatally shot in Streatham.

Born in Birmingham, Mark Rowley attended Handsworth Grammar School before studying mathematics at Cambridge. After university he joined the West Midlands Police force, rising through the ranks to become the Head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing, overseeing the response to the terrorist attacks in 2017.

He retired from the Met in 2018, and co-authored a crime thriller.

Now Sir Mark Rowley aims to restore public confidence in the force. So, what kind of leader will he be?

CREDITS

Presenter: Mark Coles