The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has appointed interim Director General Tom Whiting following the resignation of Michael Lockwood.

Mr Lockwood departed last week after Home Secretary Suella Braverman took “immediate action” when it emerged he was facing an “historical allegation”.

The IOPC confirmed M Whiting had been appointed after a special meeting on Sunday.

By law, the IOPC Director General can never have worked for a police force previously.

Mr Whiting joined the IOPC in February 2019 as the Deputy Director General Strategy and Corporate Services.

Prior to this, he spent 14 years in local government at the London Borough of Harrow, most recently as its interim chief executive from January 2018.

He was corporate director of resources from 2013 to 2018 and was assistant chief executive from 2008.

During this time Mr Whiting led on the council’s Improvement Programme that saw Harrow win multiple industry awards, including the most Improved Council in the country in 2011 and further awards for customer service digitalisation and IT transformation in 2016.

From 2010 until leaving, he was responsible for the council’s savings and transformation programmes in response to reduced public sector funding.

MORE UK SECURITY NEWS

As Interim chief executive he led for West London Local Government on improved integration between health and social care services and oversaw the transition to the new Basic Command Unit structure working with the police, with the merger of three boroughs.

He has throughout his time at Harrow worked closely with local residents and local community and voluntary organisations as an ambassador for the council and as a result improved public perception and confidence.

He also led external lobbying and stakeholder relations for Harrow about local government funding and oversaw new programmes to transform adult social care.

Mr Whiting graduated in 1996 and worked at Accenture for nine years in its energy and utilities practice, specialising in mergers and acquisitions and the deregulation of utility and energy markets in the UK, Europe and the Middle East.