Cressida Dick resigns: Former South Yorkshire Police officer Matt Jukes in running for Met Commissioner role

A high-flying police officer who began his career in South Yorkshire is among the frontrunners to replace Cressida Dick as Metropolitan Police commissioner.
By Robert Cumber
Published 11th Feb 2022, 16:27 BST
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Dame Cressida announced on Thursday that she would be stepping down as the supremo of Britain’s biggest police force, following a series of scandals which saw her lose the backing of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

Speculation about who will replace her in the hot seat is already intense, and one of the most likely candidates is Matt Jukes.

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Mr Jukes is an assistant Metropolitan Police commissioner currently working as head of counter-terrorism.

Matt Jukes, who began his career as a PC with South Yorkshire Police, is among the frontrunners to replace Dame Cressida Dick as the Metropolitan Police commissionerMatt Jukes, who began his career as a PC with South Yorkshire Police, is among the frontrunners to replace Dame Cressida Dick as the Metropolitan Police commissioner
Matt Jukes, who began his career as a PC with South Yorkshire Police, is among the frontrunners to replace Dame Cressida Dick as the Metropolitan Police commissioner
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He started out as a PC with South Yorkshire Police in 1995, after graduating from Oxford University with a degree in mathematics, and quickly worked his way up the ranks.

Between 1997 and 2006, he worked in a number of roles, principally as a detective.

What police roles has Met commissioner contender Matt Jukes held previously?

He served as district commander in Rotherham from 2006-2010 and was praised for helping South Yorkshire Police become ‘more proactive’ in dealing with the Rotherham child sexual abuse scandal.

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He joined South Wales Police as assistant chief constable in 2010 and was promoted to chief constable in January 2018, before joining the Metropolitan Police as an assistant commissioner in 2020.

Mr Jukes’ responsibilities over the years have included working for the forerunner of the National Counter Terrorism Policing network and representing UK policing at G8 meetings in the United States.

Who are the other leading candidates to become the new Metropolitan Police commissioner?

The other top candidates for the Met commissioner role include Neil Basu, another assistant commissioner who has spent his entire career with the Metropolitan Police; Lucy D’Orsi, Chief Constable of the British Transport Police, who previously worked as a senior officer at the Metropolitan Police; Nick Ephgrave, assistant commissioner for frontline policing, who began his career at the Metropolitan Police and has served as chief constable of Surrey Police; and Sir Stephen House, who is deputy commissioner of the Met, just below Dame Cressida, making him a natural contender for the job.

Speaking about the search for Dame Cressida's successor, Home Secretary Priti Patel said: “Following a series of appalling incidents and too many historical cases involving serving Met Police officers, it is clear that strong and decisive new leadership will be required to restore public confidence in our largest police force.”