David McNee
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Sir David McNee, QPM (born 1925 in Glasgow, Scotland) was Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 1977 to 1982 and Chief Constable of the City of Glasgow Police (later Strathclyde Police) from 1971-1977.
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[edit] Early life
Born in Glasgow, McNee worked as an office boy at the Clydesdale Bank before joining the Royal Navy as a rating in 1943. In 1946, McNee began his career in the police when he joined the City of Glasgow Police, serving as a uniformed constable before joining the force's Marine Division as a Detective Constable in 1951. He rose up the ranks to Inspector and served in the Flying Squad and Special Branch, until attending a senior command course at the Police Staff College, Bramshill, after which he was appointed Assistant Chief Constable of Dunbartonshire County Constabulary. In 1961, he took charge of the City of Glasgow Police, which during his tenure as Chief Constable was merged with six other local Scottish police forces to form Strathclyde Police. He joined the Metropolitan Police in London in 1977 as the Met's Commissioner, the first time he had served outside of Scotland as a police officer.
[edit] Metropolitan Police Commissioner
McNee had commanded the second largest police force in Britain in Strathclyde, and was now in charge of the largest. However, his lengthy experience as a low-ranking beat officer in Glasgow was at odds with the academic and theoretical training he had received at Bramshill in the Senior Officers's course. Determined to improve the working conditions of London's beat bobbies, McNee implemented several reforms to the Metropolitan Police, some of which would be further refined by his successors.
[edit] Iranian Embassy Siege
One of the most dramatic incidents to occur during McNee's time with the Metropolitan Police was the siege of the Iranian Embassy in 1980. McNee and the Met were praised for their response and actions during the siege, however, when the first hostage was shot, McNee immediately handed control of the operation over to the British Army, who deployed the Special Air Service to storm the building and resolve the situation.
[edit] Buckingham Palace incident
On 9 July 1982, a man later identified as Michael Fagin broke into the private apartments at Buckingham Palace, where he spent ten minutes chatting to Queen Elizabeth II in her bedroom until he was apprehended by police and palace guards.[1] The Home Secretary, William Whitelaw, sent his Permanent Secretary to ask McNee to take responsibility for the incident and resign — a request McNee declined.[2]
[edit] After the Met
McNee was knighted in 1978, and remained as Metropolitan Police Commissioner for five years until his retirement in 1982. He published his memoirs, McNee's Law, in 1983.
[edit] Publications
- McNee, David (1983). McNee's Law: The Memoirs Of Sir David McNee, Five Critical Years At The Metropolitan Police. London: Collins. ISBN 0-00-217007-8.
[edit] References
- ^ BBC Online: On This Day: 9 July - 1982: Queen fends off bedroom intruder.
- ^ House of Lords Hansard: 8 Jun 2006: Column 1452.
| Police appointments | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir Robert Mark |
Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis 1977–1982 |
Succeeded by Sir Kenneth Newman |
