FOLLOWING the news of the head of the country's largest police force resigning, Cumbria's Police and Crime Commisioner has shared his thoughts.

Beleaguered Metropolitan Police boss Dame Cressida Dick has resigned from her job after losing the backing of London Mayor Sadiq Khan.

The commissioner has faced a series of scandals during her time leading Britain’s biggest police force – most recently concerning violently racist, misogynist and homophobic messages exchanged by officers based at Charing Cross police station that were published by a watchdog.

It is understood Dame Cressida submitted a plan for reforming the force but Mr Khan did not think it met what was required, and called her in for a meeting at 4.30pm on Thursday.

However she did not attend and submitted her resignation instead.

The force has been dogged by a series of controversies, including heavy criticism over its apparent hesitation to launch an investigation into alleged parties held in Downing Street and the Cabinet Office during lockdown.

And there was fury over the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by a serving officer, as well as the force’s actions following her death in tackling a vigil held in her memory during coronavirus restrictions, and issuing clumsy advice telling women in trouble to flag down a passing bus that later had to be retracted.

Last summer the Euro 2020 final at Wembley was marred by a massive security lapse that saw thousands of ticketless fans able to storm the stadium.

And the notorious 1987 unsolved murder of Daniel Morgan also hit the headlines, with an independent panel accusing the Metropolitan Police of institutional corruption over the case.

Reacting, Cumbria's PCC said: "The job of Commissioner of the Met is almost impossible, it's fraught with political issues, it is an enormous force, and it is a very complicated job for anyone to get right all of the time.

"When things do go wrong in your organisation you must take responsibility, and I think Cressida has shown she has done that.

"I think we should all recognise that for her to do that job over the many years that she did is a hugely stressful thing.

"I have met her and found her to be a very intelligent and devoted police officer."