Paddick 'to be first gay police chief'

Brian Paddick, the police commander who pioneered the softly-softly approach to cannabis in Lambeth, is tipped today to become the first openly gay chief constable.

The 44-year-old's rapid rise was advanced last night when he was formally selected for the post of Deputy Assistant Commissioner at Scotland Yard after an examination by the promotion board.

Three other officers joined Mr Paddick on the final shortlist for the £96,000-a-year job, which is one of the top two posts at the Met and equivalent to a provincial deputy chief constable.

He is reckoned to be the front-runner since being suggested for the elevated rank in an "acting" role last month by Met Commissioner Sir John Stevens.

Mr Paddick was moved to a desk job in 2002 after a former lover alleged he had smoked cannabis. The Crown Prosecution Service ruled there was not enough evidence to prosecute.

Despite calls for him to be reinstated, Sir John then moved him to a new post reviewing Met intelligence-gathering.