Sir Paul Stephenson, QPM, is a British former senior police officer who served as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service from December 2008 to July 2011. Born on 24 October 1953, he began his career with the Lancashire Constabulary in 1975 as a constable and progressed through various roles, including positions in the Greater Manchester Police and as Chief Constable of Leicestershire Constabulary (2001-2004) and West Yorkshire Police (2004-2008). Prior to becoming Commissioner, he was Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police from 2005 to 2008. His tenure as Commissioner was marked by efforts to reform the force following the 2005 London bombings and addressing issues like knife crime, but it was overshadowed by the News International phone hacking scandal. Stephenson resigned in 2011 amid revelations of his personal connections to executives at News of the World, including hiring Neil Wallis as a PR consultant and accepting hospitality from Max Clifford, which raised questions about conflicts of interest during the investigation into phone hacking. He was knighted in 2010 for services to policing. Post-resignation, he has maintained a low public profile, occasionally commenting on policing matters. His leadership during the phone hacking investigations drew criticism for perceived closeness to media figures under scrutiny, contributing to broader inquiries into police-media relations, such as the Leveson Inquiry.