Ex-military staff could lead revamp of Met Police, says Tory mayoral hopeful Moz Hossain
- Hossain would allow force to employ youth workers straight into leadership roles
- He says bypassing traditional recruitment procedures would bring in more expertise
A top contender to push Sadiq Khan out of London’s City Hall has pledged to allow the Metropolitan Police to hire military veterans directly into senior jobs to restore discipline and rigour.
Mozammel Hossain, one of three candidates on the Tory shortlist, would also allow the force to employ youth workers straight into leadership roles.
The criminal barrister, who believes Londoners have lost faith in the Met, says that bypassing traditional recruitment procedures would bring in more expertise.
He hopes that the experience of veterans and youth workers can change the lives of young people and help to bring down crime levels in the capital.
The Tory hopeful plans to run targeted outreach campaigns to encourage veterans and youth workers to join the Met.
Mozammel Hossain (pictured), one of three candidates on the Tory shortlist, would also allow the force to employ youth workers straight into leadership roles
Mr Hossain said: ‘Sadiq Khan is the head of policing and crime, and under him the Met is in special measures. Talk to anybody in London and they will tell you how unsafe people feel, whether rich or poor. People have lost faith in the Met’ (File Photo)
Mr Hossain said last night: ‘With 21 years as a criminal barrister in London, I’ve seen first-hand how people end up on the wrong side of the law.
‘Too often, it’s young boys lacking role models, who end up following a life of crime. We need to change that.
READ MORE: GLEN OWEN: Meet Moz Hossain, the Tory who didn’t own shoes until he was 16 but who could rid London of its preening, Ulez-loving mayor Sadiq Khan
‘As Mayor, I will bring youth workers, mentors and army veterans into City Hall, fast.
‘They’re the role models our youth need. They’ve got the experience, the perspective, the grit.
‘They can guide our young ones, keep them out of trouble. Together, we can build a safer London. A better London. For all of us.’
Mr Hossain grew up in a family of ten in a mud-floored shack in Bangladesh and did not own a pair of shoes until he was 16. At 21, he moved to the UK to study law and is now the first Bangladesh-born criminal barrister to become a Queen’s or King’s Counsel.
If he beats Dan Korski and Susan Hall to the Tory nomination when it is announced on July 19, Mr Hossain will go head-to-head with Mr Khan in next May’s election. He told The Mail on Sunday of his ambition to make London’s streets safer if he enters City Hall.
Brandishing his KC status, he said: ‘One area where Sadiq Khan has failed indisputably is crime.
‘I have been a criminal barrister for 21 years.
Mr Hossain believes Londoners have lost faith in the Met, says that bypassing traditional recruitment procedures would bring in more expertise (File Photo)
‘There is not a single aspect of the criminal justice system I don’t have the most intimate and expert knowledge of.
‘That’s where I will tackle him.’
He also pledged an institutional overhaul of the scandal-hit Metropolitan Police, by setting up an independent anti-corruption body.
‘Sadiq Khan is the head of policing and crime, and under him the Met is in special measures,’ he said. ‘Talk to anybody in London and they will tell you how unsafe people feel, whether rich or poor. People have lost faith in the Met.’
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