LONDON (Reuters) - An openly gay police commander who was effectively demoted over claims he smoked cannabis with his male-model former lover has been promoted to one of the country’s top police jobs.
Brian Paddick will become London’s acting Deputy Assistant Commissioner from December 1.
"He’ll be the head of territorial policing: bobbies on the beat, street crime, burglaries etc," said a spokesman for Scotland Yard on Wednesday. "Hopefully he’ll become the Yard’s public face on street crime initiatives."
Paddick, who pioneered a controversial "softly softly" approach to cannabis while he was commander of the trouble-spot south London borough of Lambeth, was cleared of drugs use last November.
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He had been moved from his high profile post to a desk job after gay lover James Renolleau told a tabloid newspaper they often smoked cannabis together at their London flat during a five year relationship.
The promotion comes alongside that of Deputy Assistant Commissioner Andy Trotter, who was the public face of the police during this month’s tense visit to Britain by U.S. President George W. Bush.
Paddick became a hate figure for the right wing press who dubbed him "Commander Crackpot" last year after he said on an Internet chatroom that he found the concept of anarchy "attractive".
