Paul Condon, Baron Condon

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Not to be confused with the author of the same name (and Old Ignatian), Paul Condon

Paul Leslie Condon
Image:Paul Leslie Condon.jpg When Sir Paul Condon Commissioner of Metropolitan Police (1993 - 2000)
Born	March 10, 1947

Paul Leslie Condon, Baron Condon, QPM, DL (b. 10 March 1947) is a retired British policeman. He served as the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police (covering London) from 1993 to 2000.

He was the youngest ever Commissioner (see[1]), having joined the police in 1967 around the age of 19, and becoming Chief Constable of Kent in 1988. He became Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in 1993 at the age of 45, and was given the customary knighthood in 1994.

Condon's tenure saw various challenges, most notably:

Led the fight against Irish and Middle Eastern terrorism
Commanded diverse events as the policing of the funeral of Diana Princess of Wales and the millennium celebrations with over three million people in central London.
Led a campaign against police corruption which led to 70 people being charged, 100 police officers suspended and changes to legislation
Introduced better equipment and training and reduced injuries on duty by 50% and days lost through sickness by 30%
To achieve more from less he dramatically reduced the number of senior officers and outsourced most support services including pay and pensions, vehicle maintenance, technology and estate management.
The founding of the UK's first Black Police Association, in November 1994

Towards the end of Condon's tenure, the death of Stephen Lawrence occurred and the subsequent inquiry finding that the Metropolitan Police was marred by "institutional racism". He refused to resign, but retired soon after in 2000 (see [2], [3]).

Why the author of this article believes that the 1993 death of Lawrence was at the end of Condon's tenure is a mystery that has yet to be uncovered

He later became became head of the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit investigating the games betting controversies (see [4]).

He read Jurisprudence at St Peter's College, Oxford and was made an Honorary Fellow in 1996. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and a Companion of the Institute of Management. He was awarded the Queen's Police Medal for distinguished service in 1989 and Knighted in 1994. He was created a life peer in 2001, as Baron Condon of Langton Green in the County of Kent, and sits as a cross-bencher in the House of Lords (see [5]).

He is married with three children and two grandsons and lives in Tunbridge Wells, Kent. His hobbies include swimming, walking, reading and opera.