Michael Lockwood, director general of the Independent Office for Police Conduct, announced his resignation on Friday for “personal and domestic reasons.” However, Home Secretary Suella Braverman announced on Saturday that she had taken action after learning of the investigation into a historical allegation. Ms Braverman stated that Mr Lockwood was asked to resign or be suspended. She stated that she had accepted the resignation, which took effect immediately. There was no further information provided about the nature of the allegation. Ms Braverman added that the Home Office is now collaborating with the IOPC to “put in place temporary arrangements for the organization’s leadership.” Mr Lockwood was the organization’s first leader when it took over for the Independent Police Complaints Commission in 2018. It handles the most serious police misconduct complaints in England and Wales. Mr Lockwood said in a statement on Friday that he was resigning with “great sadness,” adding that it had been a “enormous privilege” to serve as the organization’s first director general. He previously served as the chief executive of the London Borough of Harrow in north-west London. According to the IOPC website, following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, Mr Lockwood was asked by a government task force to lead the recovery and remediation work as well as liaise with bereaved families and survivors. Mr Lockwood, a qualified accountant, has also worked in central government at the National Audit Office and as executive director for local government finance and policy at the Local Government Association.
