UK Appoints First Woman Scotland Yard Chief in 187-Year History

Cressida Dick, the new Metropolitan Police commissioner, poses for photographers, outside New Scotland Yard on Victoria Embankment, in London. (Photo: AP)

Britain's Home Secretary Amber Rudd announced that a female police officer would be the next Commissioner of the Scotland Yard, media reports said.

Cressida Dick's appointment to the top job at Scotland Yard means that for the first time in its history, Britain's biggest police force will be run by a woman, Xinhua news agency reported.

So important is the role of 'Britain's top cop' that Dick was appointed by Queen Elizabeth II following a recommendation from the Home Secretary.

The Metropolitan Police or Met, as it is commonly known, is the largest police force in Britain, with more than 43,000 employees and an annual budget of over 3 billion pounds ($3.74 billion).

Rudd said: "Cressida Dick is an exceptional leader, and has a clear vision for the future of the Metropolitan Police and an understanding of the diverse range of communities it serves."

Rudd said the new police chief was taking on one of the most demanding, high-profile and important jobs in British policing, against the backdrop of a heightened terror alert and evolving threats from fraud and cyber crime.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan said, "Cressida Dick will be the first female commissioner of the Met in its 187-year history, and the most powerful police officer in the land. She has already had a long and distinguished career, and her experience and ability has shone throughout this process."