Lucy D'Orsi

Early life and family

Lucy D'Orsi was born Lucy Copson in Leicester, in December 1969. She married Raffaele D'Orsi in Leicester in 1993. Raffaele is a Detective Superintendent and Deputy Borough Commander for policing in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. In 2004, Lucy and Raffaele D'Orsi were thanked by author Lynda La Plante for their advice on police procedures for her novel Above Suspicion.

Career

D'Orsi joined the Metropolitan Police Service in 1992. She was in charge of the police response to London's largest fire of 2006, in Beaufort Park, Hendon, and has headed special operations relating to illegal weapons. She moved from Enfield to be Chief Superintendent and Borough Commander in Hammersmith and Fulham from March 2011 to March 2014 after which she was promoted to Commander in East London.

In 2015, D'Orsi was in charge of security during the visit of Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the United Kingdom which was regarded on the British official side as a very difficult visit to arrange as in negotiations the Chinese delegation had wanted their security officials to be able to carry guns and for all anti-Chinese protests to be banned, neither of which demands was agreed to by the Metropolitan Police. During the visit, however, three protestors were arrested and their homes searched resulting in criticism that legitimate protests had been blocked and the response to the protests "heavy handed". In a blogpost written in her official capacity in 2015, D'Orsi rejected accusations that the policing of protests during the visit had been subject to political interference, saying "The policing of the state visit was a matter for the Metropolitan Police Service and any other suggestion is wrong". D'Orsi was recommended for a commendation for her work during the visit but did not receive it because her performance was seen as part of the natural duties of her role.