Page 82 - 2018 Powerlist

Public Sector & Third Sector Patricia Gallan

Assistant Commissioner, Specialist Crime and
Operations for the Metropolitan Police

Patricia Gallan is the most senior ethnic minority female
officer in the history of the British police force.
She holds the position of joint No 3 on the force and is
widely seen as a future Commissioner.
Prior to her promotion, Patricia was Deputy Assistant
Commissioner (Specialist Operations – Security and
Protection) from 2012-15. During this time she was in charge
of the probe into the ‘Plebgate’ affair, the scandal over
the altercation between MP Andrew Mitchell, the then
Government Chief Whip, and police officers.
Before that she was Assistant Chief Constable (Operations
Support) of Merseyside Police from February 2006 to 2012,
and also served as temporary Deputy Chief Constable of the
force from October 2009 to February 2010.
Patricia was born in Scotland and adopted by a Church of
Scotland Minister, the Reverend Alex Gallan.
She joined the Met in 1987 where she served as a
uniformed officer in Stoke Newington, East London, before
training to become a detective.
She is a barrister and trained hostage negotiator, and was
awarded the Queen’s Police Medal (QPM) in 2006.
Rio Ferdinand Her role in the investigation into Liverpool boy Rhys
Philanthropist, football pundit Jones’s murder in 2007 was turned into a TV drama with
ITV’s Little Boy Blue this year, but Patricia hit out at the
dramatisation, saying it did not reflect what actually
Former Manchester United golden boy Rio has made it his happened.
mission since retiring not only to mentor young footballers
coming through the ranks but to achieve unique housing
projects for people on low incomes.
Last year he and fellow soccer stars Bobby Zamora and
Mark Noble unveiled the plans for a £400 million project for
1,300 affordable and social housing homes in Bedfordshire,
to include a sports academy, creche and education facilities.
The scheme is backed by Rio’s charity Legacy but has been
hit by delays with work not yet having started on the site.
Complex planning issues have been cited but the project
is still said to be ongoing. The trio has also unveiled plans to
roll the scheme out to other areas, including east London.
Earlier this year the retired footballer also won the
hearts of millions of TV viewers with his powerful BBC
documentary Being Mum and Dad, telling the tale of life
bringing up his three children as a single father following
the death of wife Rebecca in 2014.
The programme aired in March and was this month
nominated for a Diversity in Media award for Media
Moment.
Rio, who won six Premier League titles and a Champions
League title with Manchester United, was capped 81 times
for England, making him England’s second most capped
black player behind Ashley Cole.
At the age of 19 years and 8 days, Rio earned his first full
England cap as a substitute in a friendly against Cameroon
in November 1997, making him the youngest defender
to play for England (a record broken in 2006 by Micah
Richards).
Professional players Rio has mentored since retiring
include Burnley’s Michael Keane.
In September this year, at the age of 38, Rio announced
that he was training to become a professional boxer.

78 Powerlist 2018