Paul Leslie Condon, Baron Condon, (born 10 March 1947) is a British retired police officer. He was the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 1993 to 2000.

Education

Condon read

Jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...

St Peter's College, Oxford St Peter's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford and is located in New Inn Hall Street, Oxford, United Kingdom. It occupies the site of two of the university's medieval halls, dating back to at least the 14th ...

and was made an Honorary Fellow in 1996.

Career

Policing

Paul Condon joined the police in 1967. He became Chief Constable of

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

in 1989 and

Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police The Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis is the head of London's Metropolitan Police Service. Sir Mark Rowley was appointed to the post on 8 July 2022 after Dame Cressida Dick announced her resignation in February. The rank of Commissioner ...

in 1993 at the age of 45, the youngest person to do so, stepping down in 2000. His tenure as head of the Metropolitan Police Service was marked by the

Stephen Lawrence Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

case, which became a major controversy. The subsequent public Macpherson Report found the force to be " institutionally racist" and that 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. In 1995, Condon attracted controversy and media attention for stating that most muggers are black. Other challenges Condon faced were sectarian violence over the Irish partition, the

funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales The funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, started on Saturday 6 September 1997 at 9:08am in London, when the tenor bell of Westminster Abbey started tolling to signal the departure of the cortège from Kensington Palace. The coffin was carried ...

, the millennium celebrations and

police corruption Police corruption is a form of police misconduct in which law enforcement officers end up breaking their political contract and abuse their power for personal gain. This type of corruption may involve one or a group of officers. Internal pol ...

, which led to 70 people being charged, 100 police officers suspended and changes to legislation.

Post-police career

Just six weeks after his retirement from the Metropolitan Police, Condon became head of the

International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are 108 national associations, with 12 Full Members and 96 Associate Members. Founded in 1909 as the ' ...

's anti-corruption unit, investigating the game's betting controversies. In March 2007,

Mohammed Al Fayed Mohamed Al-Fayed (; arz, محمد الفايد ; born 27 January 1929) is an Egyptian-born businessman whose residence and chief business interests have been in the United Kingdom since the late 1960s. His business interests include ownership of ...

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. Condon was also named to assist Jamaican Police in their inquiry into the strangulation murder of

Pakistan's Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

World Cup cricket coach,

Bob Woolmer Robert Andrew Woolmer (14 May 1948 – 18 March 2007) was an English cricket coach, cricketer, and a Sportscaster, commentator. He played in 19 Test cricket, Test matches and six One Day Internationals for the England cricket team and later coach ...

Director of G4S PLC

Condon was deputy chairman of the board of G4S until he retired from the board in 2012.

Honours

Condon is a Companion of the Institute of Management. He was awarded the

Queen's Police Medal The King's Police Medal (KPM) is awarded to police in the United Kingdom for gallantry or distinguished service. It was also formerly awarded within the wider British Empire, including Commonwealth countries, most of which now have their own hono ...

for distinguished service (QPM) in 1989. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on 20 July 1994. He was appointed Commander of the

Venerable Order of Saint John The Order of St John, short for Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem (french: l'ordre très vénérable de l'Hôpital de Saint-Jean de Jérusalem) and also known as St John International, is a British royal order of ...

(CStJ) in April 1994. On 27 April 2001, it was announced that a

life peerage In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages A ...

would be conferred upon him. He was created Baron Condon, of Langton Green in the County of Kent. He sat as a crossbencher in the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

until his retirement on 21 December 2017.

Police Long Service and Good Conduct ribbon

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Condon, Paul 1947 births Living people Crossbench life peers People's peers British Chief Constables Commissioners of Police of the Metropolis Alumni of St Peter's College, Oxford Honorary Fellows of St Peter's College, Oxford Knights Bachelor Commanders of the Order of St John English recipients of the Queen's Police Medal Deputy Lieutenants of Kent Life peers created by Elizabeth II