Met police firearms

[Fedster + 1,307]

His work to deliver £600 million in savings was highlighted.

Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey

 

Met Police Deputy Commissioner Craig Mackey has been made a knight for services to policing. 

In a citation he is commended for reducing stop and search by 70 per cent while doubling the arrest rate and overseeing a dramatic improvement in the recruitment of officers from ethnic minority backgrounds.

The Met now has half of the national total of ethnic minority officers, and since 2011 has increased its number of BME officers from 3,000 to more than 4,150.

Sir Craig, a former chief constable of Cumbria Constabulary, is also praised for leading the delivery of £600 million of savings from the Met’s £3.6 billion budget, without cutting officer posts.

The force has instead taken other measures such as selling off buildings and cutting and outsourcing police staff jobs.

Officer numbers are expected to fall in future years as further cuts are imposed on the force.

Sir Craig said in a statement: “Receiving a knighthood has left me feeling both amazed and deeply honoured.

“I truly believe it is a recognition not just for me but for the dedication of all the men and women of the police service that I have had the privilege to serve with during the last 33 years.

“It comes at the end of what has been an extraordinarily difficult year, when so many of our officers have demonstrated huge courage, compassion and professionalism in the very worst of circumstances."

Nine Met officers and one member of staff are recognised in the New Year Honours, including super-recogniser Paul Lockhart who will be awarded a Queen's Police Medal.

Former PC Lockhart recently retired after a 36-year career serving London.

In the late 1990s, he set up a team of plain clothes surveillance officers following a rise in passenger bag thefts at Heathrow Airport, leading to multiple arrests. Later in his career, he identified an organised criminal network who stole 150 catalytic convertors from vehicles across 18 boroughs.

Mr Lockhart is also awarded for his part in leading Brent borough, in north London, to a reduction in crime of about 20 per cent in the last four years.

He said: “This award is an absolute honour. Policing has always been my passion and the highest priority is always the victims of crime. I hope I have served them well.”

Chief Superintendent Richard Wood, borough commander for Lambeth, has also been awarded a QPM.

Commissioner Cressida Dick said: "I congratulate these extraordinary members of the Met who have dedicated their working life to policing and to protecting and serving London. They have achieved some amazing accomplishments.

“It is to their credit that they are role models to all, for their commitment, hard work and innovation.

"I am very proud of them all, as they should be of themselves. To be honoured in this way is so very special and richly deserved."

View On Police Oracle

 

[Fedster + 1,307]

I do note in the Oracle comment section, people are describing Mr Mackey akin to a Tory stooge, i can see why this would be said, thoughts? Does he deserve to be knighted?

[Reasonable Man + 1,231]

He deserves it because the panel who makes such decisions says he does. Of course there will be people who will say he doesn't because he was doing his job.
That can be said about virtually all such awards. Even voluntary work is only done by people who want to do that so why should they get an award?
As long as the awards remain those who get them deserve them.

[Mac7 808]

I think there is an element of truth in “tactical honours” and the statement that he is just doing his job. Has he done anything over and above what he is paid to do? I can’t answer that. The question should be does he deserve over and above that of officers of lower rank who do go beyond their job description to serve the public. I can imagine it leaves a sour taste in some peoples mouths who go through their career with little or no recognition. Honours is unfairly weighted to those in senior positions.

[bensonby + 3,503]

I thought it was customary for the Commissioner to get a knighthood in the first honours list after being appointed but Cressida Dick doesn’t appear on the list for a DBE.

[Burnsy2023 2,895]

7 hours ago, Mac7 said:

I think there is an element of truth in “tactical honours” and the statement that he is just doing his job. Has he done anything over and above what he is paid to do? I can’t answer that. The question should be does he deserve over and above that of officers of lower rank who do go beyond their job description to serve the public. I can imagine it leaves a sour taste in some peoples mouths who go through their career with little or no recognition. Honours is unfairly weighted to those in senior positions.

Of course it's weighted towards senior positions, that's no surprise. The command structure hierarchy is likely a large part of that. Lets think about this: who does the nominations for honours? Most likely the senior management or their management assistants. One of the issues in the Police is that information of good working takes proactive management from the lowest levels all the way up to Chief Officers to get recognition and there are plenty of steps during that process where detail or impact of someone's actions could be lost.

But it doesn't have to be that way. Honours can be nominated by anyone, it just takes someone to be aware of this and be able to eloquently describe someone's contribution with enough detail to have an impact. So perhaps the Police Service should stop whinging about this, actually put pen to paper and do something constructive.

https://www.gov.uk/honours/nominate-someone-in-the-uk

[Mac7 808]

But a nomination from Joe pubic carries no weight over a nomination from a senior officer, senior MP etc.

[Reasonable Man + 1,231]

All nominations carry equal weight. The information is available as to what is required for the various 'gongs'. From that it is clear that a senior officer, like anyone in a senior position in any organisation, are more likely to meet the criteria than someone in a junior position.

[Burnsy2023 2,895]

13 hours ago, Mac7 said:

But a nomination from Joe pubic carries no weight over a nomination from a senior officer, senior MP etc.

As has been mentioned below, the merits of the application are appraised not the person nominating. It all comes down to properly documenting achievements and impacts of those actions.

11 hours ago, Reasonable Man said:

All nominations carry equal weight. The information is available as to what is required for the various 'gongs'. From that it is clear that a senior officer, like anyone in a senior position in any organisation, are more likely to meet the criteria than someone in a junior position.

Indeed, but even people in more junior positions do get missed out due to the management structure. That doesn't need to be the case though.