Sadiq Khan announces members of new London Policing Board to oversee and scrutinise reform of the Met

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has announced on Friday the members of his new London Policing Board to oversee and scrutinise the urgent reform of the Met.

The Board members represent a wide and diverse range of expertise and lived experiences and will support and advise the Mayor in driving the changes in the Met Police that Sadiq has long called for and that Londoners need and deserve.

Establishing a London Policing Board chaired by the Mayor was a recommendation in Baroness Louise Casey’s review of culture and standards in the Met – which the Mayor requested – to increase the transparency and accountability of the Met to all the diverse communities it serves and improve performance.

This action is part of the Mayor’s commitment to bringing in outside expertise to advise and support him in holding the Met to account in delivering the long-lasting and meaningful change called for in Baroness Casey’s review.

The Board members are as follows:

• Sir John Aston – Harding Professor of Statistics in Public Life at the University of Cambridge and former Chief Scientific Adviser to the Home Office
• Neil Basu – Retired Metropolitan Police Officer, formerly Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations (ACSO) and national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing
• Tijs Broeke – Communications advisor, Member of the City of London Police Authority Board and Chair of London Metropolitan University
• Nick Campsie – Economist, investor, charity founder and Non-Executive Chair of the Legal Aid Agency Board
• Carolyn Downs – Former Chief Executive of the London Borough of Brent with more than 40 years’ experience in local and central government
• Sayce Holmes-Lewis – Founder & CEO of Mentivity, an award-winning mentoring organisation and provider of solution-led training with the Met, dedicated to cultural competency, racial equity and social justice.
• Stuart Lawrence – Educator, author, and activist who promotes equality, diversity, justice and inclusion in education and society.
• Susan Lea – Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Hull, psychologist, leadership coach and organisational change expert
• Paula McDonald – Former senior civil servant and Chair of youth charity Redthread
• Nicola Rollock – Professor of Social Policy and Race at King’s College London and Specialist Adviser to the Home Affairs’ Select Committee’s ‘The Macpherson Report: 22 Years On’ Inquiry
• Andrea Simon – Director, End Violence Against Women (EVAW) Coalition and co-Chair of the London VAWG Board
• Leslie Thomas KC – Professor of Law, Barrister, author, human rights and civil liberties advocate

In addition to the 12 Board members above, Ex-officio members of the Board are: Sophie Linden, Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice, Claire Waxman OBE, London’s Independent Victims’ Commissioner and Cllr Jas Athwal – London Councils Executive Member for Community Safety and Violence Against Women and Girls who is sitting on the Board on behalf of London Councils.  

Members of the board will provide specialist advice to assist the Mayor in holding the Met to account in delivering the reforms needed to rebuild confidence and trust in the police.

In line with Baroness Casey’s recommendation, the new board will meet four times a year to drive forward the changes needed, based on the transparent approach to accountability now used by Transport for London, with meetings held in public and a membership representing a range of wide skills and lived experiences.

The first meeting of the new Board will take place on (Tuesday) 26 September between 10am-1pm. Proceedings can be viewed online via the Mayoral webcast page – https://webcasts.london.gov.uk/Mayoral or in person from City Hall.

The new London Policing Board is part of a package of measures by the Mayor to accelerate the root and branch reforms of the Met’s performance and culture so that every community in London can feel protected and served.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said, “I’ve already put the Met on the path of far reaching systemic and cultural reform with the appointment of a new Commissioner and today’s announcement of the members of the new London Policing Board builds on this. This new Board represent a wide and diverse range of outside expertise and lived experiences and will help me oversee and drive the changes in policing that Londoners need and deserve.

“These members care deeply about policing in London and have an extraordinary range of professional skills and lived experience they can draw on to make a positive difference.

“Crucially we have strong representation from those communities who have been let down by the police for far too long and have the lowest levels of trust in the Met. Their contribution will be invaluable to driving the reform we need to see to build a safer and fairer London for everyone.”

Baroness Dame Louise Casey added, “My report into the culture and standards of the Metropolitan Police laid bare deep and widespread failings in the force.

“I have been honest with the Met Commissioner and Londoners about the scale of reform needed to turn the Met around and the benefit a new, quarterly Policing Board for London – chaired by the Mayor of London, could make.

“Londoners, particularly those who have been let down the most, have had enough reports and reviews. They want change. So, the Board’s role in helping drive the changes needed will be pivotal to delivering a police service that Londoners and officers who put themselves at risk in order to protect the rest of us can be proud of.”