Next Met boss 'should be boring'

Kit Malthouse said Sir Ian "strayed over the line 'too often"

A man who will be involved in the search for the next Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police said the top job should go to someone "pretty boring".

Kit Malthouse, London's deputy mayor of policing, said the leading officer needed to be mindful of the "often grey line between politics and policing".

Commissioner Sir Ian Blair resigned over lack of support from the mayor.

The job advert said the government wants someone with an "outstanding record" in tackling terrorism.

Last month Sir Ian announced that he would step down in December, saying London Mayor Boris Johnson had clearly indicated that "he wished there to be a change of leadership".

LIKELY CANDIDATES Met Deputy Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson Northern Ireland's Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde Merseyside's police chief, Bernard Hogan-Howe Kent's Chief Constable Mike Fuller Peter Neyroud, head of the National Policing Improvement Agency

Following the resignation Home Secretary Jacqui Smith had accused Mr Johnson of forcing the officer out for political reasons, a claim the mayor rejected.

Speaking at a Policy Exchange debate Mr Malthouse said: "The last six months has been a real rollercoaster ride and the first thing that is good would be to get somebody pretty boring.

"One of the key things for me certainly is it has to be somebody who understands the often grey line between politics and policing."

Former Assistant Commissioner Peter Clarke, who headed Counter Terrorism Command, attacked the politician's comments.

"The men and women that do a difficult job out there on the streets do not want leadership that is boring, they want leadership that is dynamic and focused," he said.

"To put it crudely it is not a job for someone with 'double L plates' - standing for 'learning London'."

On Thursday, a recruitment advert was placed in the Police Review magazine by Ms Smith.

It emphasises the commissioner's national counter-terrorism role in ensuring that people across the UK "can feel safe, confident that they are protected from crime and that their security is a priority".

It said the Queen will appoint the commissioner following a recommendation by Ms Smith, who "will have regard" to any recommendations made to her by the Metropolitan Police Authority and Mr Johnson.

One of the possible candidates for the role Peter Neyroud, head of the National Policing Improvement Agency, told the BBC: "I'm one of many who'd like to do it."