Oil’s well for Metropolitan police top cop Cressida Dick

BY YANN TEAR
yann@slpmedia.co.uk

A portrait of the first female Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, Cressida Dick, has been unveiled to mark the centenary of women in the Met.

Captured by artist Frances Bell, the oil painting has taken its place at the Met’s Training School in Hendon, alongside the paintings of 26 former Commissioners.

They include Sir Cecil Frederick Nevil Macready, who in November 1918 officially announced that the Met would have female police officers for the first time.

Portraits are usually commissioned after a term of office is over, but this one has been completed while she is still serving in order to coincide with this year’s centenary celebrations of women in the
police force.

Painted in Frances Bell’s studio after more than 20-hours of sittings, the portrait depicts the Commissioner against the back-drop of a map of London – symbolising her long policing career in London and personal affinity with the capital.

In contrast to other portraits, Ms Dick is wearing her shirt uniform and no tunic.

She said: “I understand and appreciate that it is an important part of the 100 years celebrations, symbolises the nature of the current Met and may be important in inspiring the next generation of Met people.

“I am very grateful to the artist, who put me at great ease and made the whole process an interesting and surprisingly enjoyable one.”

Frances Bell, who this year has exhibited at the RoyalSociety of Portrait Painters’ Portrait competition, said: “I was thrilled to receive the instruction to paint the commissioner through the Royal Portrait Society.

“It’s such a fine occasion to mark with an artwork, as portraits can represent historic moments so well.

“One hundred years of women in our police, and a female Commissioner on this anniversary is the kind of coincidence a painter can appreciate.”