|
Britain’s most senior black woman officer and two other top police officers have been shortlisted for the role of head
of Scotland Yard’s Counter Terrorism Branch. Patricia Gallan, a senior Merseyside officer who has previously been
tipped to be the UK’s first black woman chief constable.
The Metropolitan Police Authority advertised the role last month after the Yard’s anti-terror chief Peter Clarke
announced his retirement after five years in the post. The successful applicant for the £125,000 a year terror busting
role will be announced by Scotland Yard next month.
Patricia Callan is at present the Merseyside Police Assistant Chief Constable with responsibility for Operations
Support.
She began her policing career in the London East End where she served in Uniform before transferring to the CID. She
went on to serve at Specialist Operations at New Scotland Yard, and was Head of the MPS unit with responsibility to
the Director of Intelligence on all matters relating to informants within the MPS. She also specialized as a Hostage Negotiator.
She was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for distinguished service in the New Year’s Honours of 2006.
In October 2005 it was reported that she was mugged outside her home.
However on the 10th of December 2007, Cdr John McDowall was appointed the head of counter-terrorism at Scotland Yard.
He will also lead the Metropolitan Police's counter-terrorism unit SO15. Cdr McDowall is the officer who ordered the
surveillance operation which ended with the death of Jean Charles de Menezes in 2005 at Stockwell Tube station.
|
