Matt Jukes has been confirmed as the Met’s new permanent deputy commissioner.
Assistant Commissioner Jukes was, until his appointment, acting in the role since the retirement of Dame Lynne Owens earlier this month. He will formally step into the substantive role of Deputy Commissioner on Monday, 26 May.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said, “I know how determined Matt Jukes is to help deliver a New Met for London, build on the progress we have achieved tackling crime in the capital and improve the confidence and trust London’s communities have in the police.
“His experience as an officer, detective and across a variety of senior roles will be invaluable as the Met continues to reform, modernise and improve the service it delivers. I’m looking forward to working with him and keeping the momentum of change going to deliver a safer London for all.”
Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention Dame Diana Johnson said that the role of deputy commissioner “is one of the most demanding and important in policing, so I am delighted that Matt has been appointed to take on that challenge”.
After Dame Lynne announced her intention to retire in February, a process to recruit her successor was launched. That process concluded with Jukes being recommended as the successful candidate. As is standard procedure, Home Secretary and Royal Household approval of that recommendation was required and has now been received.
Jukes joined policing in 1995 as a constable with South Yorkshire Police.
From patrolling Sheffield’s East End, he worked as a detective and in a variety of other roles, working his way up to the position of Chief Superintendent, Borough Commander.
He joined South Wales Police in 2010 as an Assistant Chief Constable, leading on Specialist Crime and served as Deputy Chief Constable before being appointed Chief Constable in January 2018. He was awarded the Queen’s Policing Medal in that year’s Honours.
He held the post until November 2020, when he joined the Met as Assistant Commissioner, leading and overseeing transformation programmes, moving to the post of Head of UK Counter Terrorism Policing and the Met’s Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations (ACSO) in July 2021.
This continued a longstanding focus on intelligence and security, which began with his first role in counterterrorism in 2001, when he was seen performing the role of counter-terrorism commander in a number of significant operations.
As ACSO and Head of CTP, his responsibilities included countering threats from domestic and international terrorism and the protection of the Royal Family, Ministers and Parliament. He oversaw the CTP investigation and response to the murder of Sir David Amess MP and contributed to security at the funeral of HM The Queen and HM The King’s Coronation.
Most recently, he led responses to the recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.
As the national lead on security policing, he oversaw a four-fold increase in operations emanating from espionage, foreign interference and war crimes over almost four years.
This 30-year career has been split between periods in specialist areas of policing and others at the heart of local policing, delivering for communities and supporting frontline colleagues, including a focus on their wellbeing.
He is a former chair and now vice-chair of Police Sport UK, and a patron of the Police Roll of Honour Trust.
