Royal coroner draws on Met's ability to oversee controversial investigations
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Sir John Stevens' investigation of the circumstances surrounding the death of Diana, Princess of Wales will not be the first time he has been asked to tackle an intractable problem for the British establishment.
In 1989 he headed an inquiry into alleged collusion between the Royal Ulster Constabulary and Army intelligence officers in the shooting of the Belfast lawyer Pat Finucane. He concluded that there had been official collusion in several murders and said that his detectives were obstructed by security forces during their work.
His force, the Metropolitan Police, is also experienced in sensitive inquiries. In the early 1990s officers were sent to help the Kenyan authorities investigate the suspicious death of Julie Ward, who was killed while on safari in the Masai Mara in 1988. Their involvement eventually led to arrests and trials.
Clarence House has recently seen the merit of setting up official inquiries into allegations made against the Royal Family. Last year Sir Michael Peat, the Prince of Wales' private secretary, jointly headed an investigation into an allegation of rape involving a royal aide.
Sir John named Commander David Armond yesterday as the policeman who will assist Michael Burgess, the Coroner for the Royal Household, in his investigation into the deaths of Princess Diana and Dodi Fayed.
Commander Armond, who has been with the Met for 28 years, will report directly to the coroner, although the final authority will rest with Sir John.
Working in the Serious Crime Group, Commander Armond has helped convict paedophiles, tackle the rise in credit card fraud and fight theblack market in endangered animals. He is a member of the Met's anti-terrorist branch.
In the late 1990s he helped pioneer a computerised police surveillance scheme, where footage from closed-circuit television was matched with pictures of known criminals.
The move provoked protests from civil liberties groups, but led to a number of important arrests.
Commander Armond joined the Met in 1976 and spent his first three years on the beat in Newham, east London. He was promoted to sergeant in 1980, inspector in 1986, chief inspector in 1992, and became a commander in October 2001.