Britain’s police chief has resigned as he himself is the subject of a criminal investigation into old allegations, the home secretary announced this weekend.
IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) Director-General Michael Lockwood announced his immediate departure on Friday, citing “personal and domestic reasons”.
But on Saturday evening Home Secretary Suella Braverman explained the reasons for the departure of the IOPC boss in the general context of the crisis of confidence in the British police.
The minister said in a statement that after learning that “Mr. Police were investigating Lockwood over “old allegations” and ordered his government to “call for his resignation” or face “immediate suspension.”
According to the Sunday Times, the charges against him, the nature of which has not been specified, date back four decades to when Michael Lockwood, now 63, was in his 20s.
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British police have recently been rocked by a series of high-profile cases, most notably the kidnapping, rape and murder of a young London girl by a police officer, who was sentenced to life imprisonment for these acts, and a series of scandals involving racist and misogynist behavior within their ranks.
A police service inspection report in early November also highlighted the extent of deficiencies in the recruitment and screening of officers.