Woman officer takes over job of policing demonstrations

A high-flying woman officer is to take charge of policing events such as the student protests.

Lynne Owens, 41, will become only the second woman Assistant Commissioner in the Met, and is one of only five female officers in the force holding the rank.

She will take over from Chris Allison as head of Central Operations, with responsibilities including public order, traffic policing, firearms and operational support. Next month Mr Allison will become the Met's full-time head of Olympic security and planning.

Ms Owens, who joined the force as Deputy Assistant Commissioner in March last year, will take charge at a time when the Met is coming under scrutiny for its policing of the student demonstrations.

She is also on the panel presiding over a misconduct hearing into the case of the riot squad officer who pushed over Ian Tomlinson, the news vendor who died during last year's G20 protests in the City.

The mother-of-one began her police career in 1989. She joined the Met as a constable in Catford but transferred to Kent as a sergeant and specialised as a detective, leading high-profile murder investigations. She moved to Surrey where she became the country's youngest deputy chief constable in the country, and was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in 2008.

Her appointment, expected to be announced by the Metropolitan Police Authority today, means that for the first time there will be four women on the management board of Scotland Yard. The others are Assistant Commissioner Cressida Dick, the first AC in the Met's history, and two senior civilians.

Kit Malthouse, deputy mayor for policing, said: "We are sure Lynne will do a brilliant job in what is a critical role in the run-up to the Olympic Games."