Glaswegian who became commissioner of the Metropolitan Police
Born: March 23, 1925;
Died: April 26, 2019
SIR David Blackstock McNee, who has died aged 94, was a Glaswegian law officer who rose through the ranks to become one of the most outstanding and prominent figures in the service in the 1970s and 80s. A former chief constable of City of Glasgow Police, he was appointed to lead the Metropolitan force in 1977 and was in charge at the time of some high-profile challenges including the siege of the Iranian Embassy and the Brixton riots.
Born in Glasgow in 1925, he was tremendously proud of his Scottish roots. After leaving school he joined the Clydesdale Bank but was soon called up to serve in the Royal Navy in 1943. In the Second World War he was a telegraphist on HMS Empire Mace, seeing active service and being involved in the D-Day landings in Normandy.
On leaving the Navy, after the war, he joined City of Glasgow Police in 1946 and in 1951 was appointed to the marine division in Govan as detective constable. He rose through the ranks and was appointed assistant chief constable of Dunbartonshire Police in 1969, then becoming chief constable of City of Glasgow Police in 1971.
When it was decided to combine the six Scottish regions into Strathclyde, it was Sir David who was responsible for the amalgamation of all the forces and he made a point of visiting each station across the region.
He was extremely proud to be invited to become commissioner of the Metropolitan police in 1977 and continued the investigations of Operation Countryman into corruption within the police, which had been instigated by his predecessor. The operation led to the Met getting rid of some 400 officers suspected of corruption.
In his tenure at the Met, Sir David was involved in many high-profile cases including the crisis at the Iranian Embassy in 1980 when it was seized by six Iranian exiles demanding the release of prisoners in Iran. There was a week-long stand-off with the police before the SAS entered the building and saved all but one of the 25 hostages in the building. Five of the six terrorists were killed.
The siege was just one of the considerable tests Sir David faced during his tenure - he was also in charge in 1982 when Michael Fagan was able to scale the railings of Buckingham Palace, climb through a window and get into the Queen’s bedroom - but he rose to the challenge as commissioner and was held in the highest regard, by both his force and government ministers. Other forces, worldwide, sought his advice and experience, which were greatly appreciated and he developed friendships which continued throughout his life.
Sir David was a policeman’s policeman. He had worked his way up through the ranks, and because he understood the challenges from the bottom to the top, he was respected and admired. Contrary to public opinion, he was never associated with masonic activity.
His was a disciplinarian approach (a nickname he attracted was "The Hammer"), but it always tempered with kindness.
His late wife Isabella, who died in 1997, was of sterling support to him throughout his career. They had one daughter, Heather.
Sir David had become a committed Christian in his early teens and his strong faith was evident all through his life. He was a member of St George’s Tron Church, where he been baptised as a baby, and he and the Rev Tom Allan, minister of the Tron in the 1970s, had a special rapport. Sir David had a beautiful tenor voice and often sang at services when the Rev Allan preached.
Sir David was knighted in 1978 and retired in 1982 but enjoyed a very busy and fruitful retirement, holding directorships with Clydesdale Bank, Trusthouse Forte, Scottish Express Newspapers and Integrated Security Services. He also acted as an adviser to British Airways.
He had been an active member of the Boys’ Brigade in his youth and as such, was keen to continue to be supportive, eventually becoming honorary president.
When the evangelist Billy Graham came to Scotland in 1955, Sir David was then a sergeant on duty at the crusade in Kelvin Hall in Glasgow. Nearly 40 years later, when the Billy Graham Organisation returned for a crusade in 1991, Sir David was chairman of the organising committee. Dr Graham and his team had become close personal friends of Sir David by then.
In 2002 he remarried. Lilian was the widow of one of David’s closest friends and they enjoyed a wonderfully happy twilight life together, travelling the world and enjoying family time. Sir David greatly enjoyed entertaining friends and family and was the most generous of hosts.
He died unexpectedly at home with Lilian, although he had been suffering from heart failure for some years.
He is survived by his wife Lady McNee, daughter, step children, grandchildren and step grandchildren.
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