Under section 36 of the Police Reform Act, the Chief of Police is required to provide the Mayor or Commissioner of Police and Crime with the information required. The forces may also be ordered to make this information public.
On Tuesday night, a senior police source said it would be “unthinkable” for a police chief to reject a request from a police and crime commissioner to explain why they had made a decision in a police investigation. high profile.
The source said: “Police chiefs are accountable to the public through the elected police and the commissioner of crime or mayor. In a matter like this, where the trust and confidence of the public can be damaged, a chief “They don’t have to be a law for themselves.”
Another source added: “Without a clear explanation as to why the Met made the decisions it made, the public might be left thinking that he let the prime minister go because they were worried that giving him another fine would make him dismiss him “.
Sir Stephen, who is temporarily in charge of the Met following the departure of Dame Cressida Dick last month, is also due to appear before the London Assembly’s police and crime committee on Thursday when asked about Operation Hillman. the party door investigation.
Lord Stevens, a former Met commissioner, said it was important for police to be “as open as possible” in explaining decision-making, but suggested that reluctance to force could be based on advice. legal.e based on legal advice.