Mayor announces two new members of London Policing Board to support and scrutinise reform of the Met
- Olivia Pinkney CBE QPM DL and Dal Babu OBE will join the board and help monitor and drive the urgent reforms to the Met set out in Baroness Casey report
- The London Policing Board brings together individuals with a diverse mix of professional and personal skills and backgrounds to improve policing for all of London’s communities
- Members of the Board provide high-level, specialist advice to challenge and support the Mayor in holding the Met Police Service to account and rebuilding public confidence and trust in the force
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has today announced two new members of his London Policing Board to support and scrutinise the urgent reform of the Met.
Following a recruitment process, former Chief Constable of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, Olivia Pinkney CBE QPM DL and Dal Babu OBE, who served for over 30 years in the Metropolitan Police and is the former Borough Commander of the London Borough of Harrow will join London’s first-ever Policing Board.
They will provide high-level, specialist advice and challenge, supporting the Mayor in holding the Met Commissioner to account on behalf of Londoners to deliver significant reform to Met performance and culture.
The appointment of Olivia Pinkney CBE QPM DL and Dal Babu OBE comes as Neil Basu (QPM) – Retired Metropolitan Police Officer, formerly Assistant Commissioner Specialist Operations (ACSO) and national lead for Counter Terrorism Policing has now stepped down from the London Policing Board for personal reasons.
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 latest recruitment is part of the Mayor’s commitment to bring 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 next full meeting of the London Policing Board – a key part of a package of measures by the Mayor of London to accelerate the root and branch reforms of the Met’s performance and culture – will take place on 22nd April. The Board’s People and Culture Committee will meet on 27th January. Proceedings can be viewed online via the Mayoral webcast page – https://webcasts.london.gov.uk/Mayoral.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Olivia Pinkney and Dal Babu to London’s Policing Board. They both bring a wealth of experience, strong track record of change and really care about how all of London’s communities are policed.
“I look forward to working with them to deliver a safer and fairer London for all and turning the recommendations of the Baroness Casey review into long-lasting and meaningful change. I would also like to thank Neil Basu for his expert advice and contribution to the work of the Board.”
Olivia Pinkney (CBE QPM DL), said: “I am glad to be joining the London Policing Board in order to support the Mayor in his role overseeing the MPS, helping it deliver excellent policing for London. My entire professional career has been dedicated to delivering great policing so that communities flourish - this appointment to the Board is an exciting opportunity to contribute in a new way and I look forward to working alongside my fellow Board members to support the Mayor and the MPS.”
Dal Babu (OBE), said: "I have lived and worked in London for over 40 years, a city I love and cherish. My daughters have benefited from growing up in a great city with the many opportunities it offers. As a former Chief Superintendent in the Metropolitan Police, I know how important trust and confidence of all communities in policing is. I am extremely proud to be a part of the London Policing Board, I wish to help rebuild trust in policing and work with the Metropolitan Police Service to achieve this. I love London and all it offers and want all of us to feel safe and secure in our great city."
Notes to editors
- The London Policing Board holds four public meetings that Londoners can attend and observe each year. The Members of the Board will be supported by a secretariat team which will co-ordinate and administer their work. For their work on the Board, Members will receive remuneration of £15,000 p.a. for 15 – 20 days’ commitment per annum. This is in line with the renumeration received by members of the Transport for London Board.
- Olivia Pinkney (CBE QPM DL) served as Chief Constable of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary for seven years until 2023. Under her leadership, the Constabulary delivered significant crime reductions and secured high levels of public trust. She also helped overhaul the culture of the Constabulary and has expert knowledge of law enforcement, public safety, criminal justice and security.
- Dal Babu (OBE) served for over 30 years in the Metropolitan Police and is the former Borough Commander of the London Borough of Harrow. He was the first Chair of the National Association of Muslim Police. He has extensive board level experience in policing, international development, sport bodies, community safety, child and adult safeguarding. In 2010 Dal was awarded an OBE for his services to the police and communities.
Olivia Pinkney (CBE QPM DL) and Dal Babu (OBE) will join existing Board members:
- Professor Sir John Aston - Harding Professor of Statistics in Public Life at the University of Cambridge and former Chief Scientific Adviser to the Home Office
- 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 (CB) – 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
- Dr (Hons) Stuart Lawrence – Educator, author, and activist who promotes equality, diversity, justice and inclusion in education and society
- Professor Susan Lea – Former Vice Chancellor of the University of Hull, psychologist, leadership coach and organisational change expert
- Paula McDonald (CBE) – 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
- Professor 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: Kaya Comer-Shwartz, 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 Muhammed Butt - London Councils Executive Member for Community Safety and Violence Against Women and Girls who is sitting on the Board on behalf of London Councils.
For more information on the London Policing Board, please visit: www.london.gov.uk/londonpolicingboard or email [email protected].