Paul Condon, Baron Condon

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

Infobox Person


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name= Paul Leslie Condon
|caption= When Sir Paul Condon Commissioner of Metropolitan Police (1993–2000)
birth_date= Birth date and age|1947|3|10|mf=y
birth_place=
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Paul Leslie Condon, Baron Condon, QPM, DL (b. 10 March, 1947) is a retired British policeman. He was the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police (covering London) from 1993 to 2000.

He joined the police in 1967 and became Chief Constable of Kent in 1988. He became Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in 1993 at the age of 45, the youngest person ever to do so. [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/stephen_lawrence/276686.stm
title=Profile: Sir Paul Condon
date=1999-02-19
publisher=BBC News website
accessdate=2008-10-03]

Condon's tenure saw various challenges, most notably he:
* Led the fight against Irish republican and Middle Eastern terrorism;
* Spoke out about street crime: in 1995, he attracted a great deal of controversy and media attention for stating that most muggers are black. [cite news
url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/01/12/nmug12.xml
title=Anti-mugging squad targets 'pack leaders'
last=Steele
first=John
date=2002-01-12
publisher=The Telegraph
accessdate=2008-10-03] [cite news
url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1371691/Quarter-of-men-accused-are-black.html
title=Quarter of men accused are black
last=Steele
first=John
date=2001-06-19
publisher=The Telegraph
accessdate=2008-10-03]

* Commanded diverse events such 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%;
* Reduced the number of senior officers and outsourced most support services including pay and pensions, vehicle maintenance, technology and estate management;
* Founded the Black Police Association, in November 1994.

He later became became head of the International Cricket Council's anti-corruption unit, investigating the game's betting controversies. [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/in_depth/2000/corruption_in_cricket/1004241.stm
title=Cricket's special branch
last=Petropoulos
first=Thrasy
date=2000-11-02
publisher=BBC News website
accessdate=2008-10-03]

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 was knighted in 1994.

He was head of the Metropolitan Police Service at the time of Stephen Lawrence case, which became a major controversy. In the subsequent public enquiry the Metropolitan Police were found to be "institutionally racist". The failure to arrest and successfully prosecute those believed guilty brought about many changes in the way the Metropolitan Police investigated murder within the capital.

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. [cite web
url=http://biographies.parliament.uk/parliament/default.asp?id=26740
title=Member Profile - Lord Condon
publisher=UK Parliament
accessdate=2008-10-03]

On March 19th 2007 Mohammed Al Fayed launched legal action in France against Lord Condon, alleging he deliberately withheld evidence from the French inquiry into the death of the Princess of Wales in 1997. [cite news
url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6465303.stm
title=Al Fayed in new Diana legal fight
date=2007-03-19
publisher=BBC News website
accessdate=2008-10-03]

In March 2007, Lord Condon was named to assist Jamaican Police in their inquiry into the strangulation murder of Pakistan's World Cup cricket coach, Bob Woolmer. 58 year old Woolmer, a former England Test player and South African cricket coach, was found unconscious in his Kingston hotel room, hours after Pakistan's upset defeat to Ireland. This loss eliminated the Pakistan side, ranked fourth in the world, from the World Cup competition.

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

References

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