The Met has appointed Laurence Taylor and Rachel Williams as assistant commissioners.
Taylor, who has been temporarily serving as assistant commissioner for professionalism, has been permanently appointed as assistant commissioner for specialist operations.
Williams has been serving temporarily as the assistant commissioner for trust and legitimacy. She has been permanently appointed as assistant commissioner for professionalism.
Laurence and Rachel will move into their new roles in July.
Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said, “I am very pleased to welcome both Laurence and Rachel into their new permanent Assistant Commissioner positions.
“They bring a wealth of experience, having served at forces across the country before coming to the Met. Here, they have both been pivotal part of our senior leadership team, with Laurence driving forward changes in frontline policing and Rachel improving our culture so we can increase public trust in the Met.
“I wish them both the best of luck in their new roles and look forward to working closely with them as they help us deliver a New Met for London.”
AC Taylor joined policing in 1996 as a constable with Sussex Police.
Working hard to become an inspector in just eight years, his work at the beginning of his career spanned patrolling the neighbourhoods of East Sussex to leading on 24/7 response policing in central Brighton, one of the UK’s busiest cities.
His final position at Sussex Police was Deputy Chief Constable, where he oversaw Local Policing, Operations, and the Specialist Crime Command.
From there, he joined the Met in 2018 as Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Uniformed Operations. In this role, AC Taylor was responsible for overseeing more than 8,000 officers and staff, delivering specialist policing and pan-London services, including firearms, road policing, safer transport teams, and a task force.
He played a critical role in the Met’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as some of the city’s most challenging political moments in modern history.
Before his most recent post, AC Taylor was Deputy Assistant Commissioner for Frontline Policing – Local Policing from March 2021 to February 2023. Under his leadership, the number of outstanding wanted offenders reduced by 20 per cent, and several new initiatives were established, including community mental health projects and town centre teams.
AC Taylor then served as DAC Specialist Operations from February 2023 until April 2024, when he took over the role of Temporary Assistant Commissioner for Professionalism.
Rachel had an impressive career at Avon and Somerset Police, advancing through the ranks to T/Assistant Chief Constable, Crime and Operations, where she led several key areas, including crime and investigations, intelligence, and covert operations.
She then moved to the Met in 2020 and joined as Commander, Intelligence and Covert Policing. Rachel oversaw 2,000 staff and officers, leading covert, sensitive, and frontline intelligence work.
Following this role, Rachel moved on to become Commander for Rebuilding Trust and Serious Violence, where she focused on improving public confidence in the Met and reducing violence across the city.
In November 2022, she joined Gwent Police as Deputy Chief Constable, where she played a crucial role in protecting some of the most diverse and vulnerable communities in Wales.
Rejoining the Met in 2024, Rachel returned to occupy the role of Temporary Assistant Commissioner for Trust and Legitimacy, helping deliver high standards and professionalism – a key pillar in the Met’s New Met for London strategy.
During this time, AC Williams was also head of the Met’s Culture, Diversity and Inclusion directorate, chair of the CD&I group and led on the force’s culture programme.
