LONDON: The Scotland Yard may get its first woman Commissioner if Sara Thornton is chosen to replace Sir Paul Stephenson who resigned as Metropolitan Police chief following a phone hacking scandal in Britain, a report said.
Thornton is said to be the early favourite. She is the chief constable of Thames Valley force, which covers constituencies of British Prime Minister David Cameron and Home Secretary Theresa May.
Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, she is independent and will keep her distance from senior politicians and the media; she was at the Metropolitan Police from 1986 to 2000, the 'Daily Express' reported.
Sir Paul resigned as Metropolitan Police Commissioner on Sunday, following the phone hacking scandal, involving the 'News of the World' tabloid. He was criticised for hiring the tabloid's former deputy editor Neil Wallis, allegedly involved in the scandal, as an adviser.
Sir Paul, however, insisted he had no knowledge of the extent of the phone hacking.
He said in a statement: "I have taken this decision as a consequence of the ongoing speculation and accusations relating to the Met's links with News International at a senior level and in particular in relation to Mr Neil Wallis."
He added: "Let me state clearly, I and the people who know me, know that my integrity is completely intact. I may wish we had done some things differently, but I will not lose sleep over my personal integrity."
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