In 1987, Rowley began his policing career when he joined
West Midlands Police as a
constable. His early career centred on
Birmingham, where he undertook a broad range of both uniformed and
detective roles. He joined the
National Criminal Intelligence Service as a
Detective Superintendent. He was promoted to
Deputy Chief Constable in 2007. He joined the
Metropolitan Police Service as
Assistant Commissioner for
Specialist Operations in October 2011. In January 2018, Rowley announced he would retire from the police in March. In April 2022, he co-authored a counter-terrorism thriller,
The Sleep of Reason, with journalist David Derbyshire.
Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police On 8 July 2022, it was announced that Rowley would be the next
Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, in succession to
Cressida Dick. He was sworn in on 12 September 2022. He was formally appointed by
the King on 21 September 2022 via a
warrant under the royal sign-manual. In May 2023, he oversaw the
coronation of Charles III and Camilla. On 7 November 2023, he refused to ban the
pro-Palestinian march in London, saying that the organisers of the march had shown "complete willingness to stay away from the Cenotaph and Whitehall and have no intention of disrupting the nation's remembrance events". In April 2024, Rowley faced calls to resign after Met officers described Campaign Against Antisemitism CEO Gideon Falter as "openly Jewish" during a request for him to move away from a pro-Palestinian protest. Some members of the Metropolitan Police suspected that Falter was looking for confrontation with the protesters, which Falter denies, and was seeking to catch out the Met Police. Rowley admitted that some of the words exchanged were "clumsy and offensive", but stated that the officers actions were "professional". Following the incident Rowley reportedly had the "full confidence" of then Home Secretary
James Cleverly and London Mayor
Sadiq Khan A Sky News reporter asked Rowley in August 2024 about posts made by
Elon Musk. Rowley responded: "We will throw the full force of the law at people and whether you're in this country committing crimes on the streets or committing crimes from further afield online we will come after you." ==Honours==