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| Sir Ian Blair | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1953-03-19) 19 March 1953 (age 71) |
Sir Ian Warwick Blair, QPM (born 19 March 1953) is a senior United Kingdom police officer who currently holds the office of Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis, or head of the Metropolitan Police Service.
Blair is responsible for the policing the metropolitan area of the capital city of London, with the notable exception of the City of London itself. The relatively small area of the City of London, essentially London's financial district, is policed by its own City of London Police, under the command of its own Commissioner.
As the head of the Metropolitan Police, Blair is often regarded as the most senior police officer in the United Kingdom, though technically his authority is confined to his own force.
Education and early career
After attending Wrekin College, Shropshire and Harvard High School, Los Angeles, Blair read English Language and English Literature at Christ Church, Oxford. He was awarded a second-class degree.
He commenced his police career in 1974, joining under the graduate entry scheme. He started as a Police Constable in the Soho area of London, and served in both uniform and CID in central London over the next 17 years. In 1985, he was Detective Chief Inspector at CID in Kentish Town, north London, in which role he was responsible for identifying the victims of the King's Cross fire. He reached the rank of Chief Superintendent in 1991, and then spent two years outside the Met as Staff Officer in HM Inspectorate of Constabulary.
In 1994, he moved to Thames Valley Police as Assistant Chief Constable, and that same year took charge of policing the protests over the construction of the Newbury bypass. Blair became Deputy Chief Constable for the Thames Valley Police in 1997. He was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in 1999 and received a knighthood in the Queen's Birthday Honours in 2003 for services to the Police.
Blair was formerly Deputy Commissioner, and before that Chief Constable of Surrey Police.
Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis
Blair took up his current post as Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis on 1 February 2005, taking over from Sir John Stevens (now Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington). During Blair's time as Commissioner, several incidents have led to widespread newspaper coverage, including calls for his resignation. Blair has defended his responses and has resisted the calls for resignation. The incidents include the 7 July 2005 London bombings, the attempted bombings on 21 July 2005, and the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes on 22 July 2005.
Ranks & Honours
- Mr Ian Blair (1953-1974)
- PC Ian Blair (1974-various ranks-1985)
- DCI Ian Blair (1985-?)
- Supt. Ian Blair (?-1991)
- Ch. Supt. Ian Blair (1991-1994)
- Asst. Ch. Const. Ian Blair (1994-1997)
- Dep. Ch. Const. Ian Blair (1997-1999)
- Dep. Ch. Const. Ian Blair QPM (1999-?)
- Chief Constable Ian Blair (?-?)
- Dep. Comm. Ian Blair (?-2003)
- Dep. Comm. Sir Ian Blair (2003-2005)
- Comm. Sir Ian Blair (2005-)
The various ranks that Blair would have held between 1974 and 1985 are Sergeant/Detective Sergeant and Inspector/Detective Inspector.
Furthermore, Blair may have been a Detective Superintendent and not a Superintendent--depending on whether he worked in the Criminal Investigation Department (CID)--before his promotion to Chief Superintendent in 1991.
Bibliography
- Investigating Rape: A New Approach for Police (1985)
External links
| Police appointments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded bySir John Stevens | Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis 2000 – 2005 |
Succeeded byPaul Stephenson |
| Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis 2005 – present |
Incumbent | |