Essex chief constable to retire after 36-year career

BJ Harrington has announced that he will be retiring from Essex Police. The announcement brings to end a 36-year career in policing, which began in 1990 in the Metropolitan Police. In 2017, Chief Constable Harrington joined Essex Police on secondment as Deputy Chief Constable. He remained and became chief in… In 2017, Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington joined Essex Police on secondment as Deputy Chief Constable. He remained and became chief in 2018....

Suffolk CC Rachel Kearton set to retire in October

She has been the Suffolk Constabulary’s chief since September 2022 and retires after 37 years in policing across several forces. Following her announcement, CC Kearton said: “It has been a huge privilege to have led Suffolk police since 2022. Becoming a chief constable was never part of my career plan,… Rachel Kearton, the Chief Constable of Suffolk Constabulary, originally joined the force in 2015, becoming Deputy Chief in 2019....

Leicestershire Chief Constable recruitment process reopened

The PCC first began the appointment process last year following the retirement of former Chief Constable Rob Nixon. Although two Assistant Chief Constables were interviewed, the interview panel concluded that an appointment could not be made at that time. Mr Matthews expressed his gratitude to Temporary Chief Constable David Sandall… Rupert Matthews, the region's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), today announced the relaunch of the recruitment process to appoint a permanent Chief Constable to lead the force. ...

New ACC appointed for Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime in south east

The officer, who has over 27 years of police service in a variety of roles primarily specialising in organised crime and counter terrorism, transferred from City of London Police and previously led the National Cybercrime Team in the City for National Police Chief’s Council. He was responsible for the police… ACC Andrew Gould took up the role as the new South East Regional lead for Counter Terrorism and Organised Crime last week....

PCC extends Bedfordshire chief's tenure to 2031

He started his career with Hertfordshire Police in 1994, moving to Bedfordshire as Deputy Chief Constable in 2019 which followed two years as Assistant Chief Constable for the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit which falls under Bedfordshire Police’s leadership. He also leads the joint police services (JPS) across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire… Trevor Rodenhurst was appointed Chief Constable in 2023 and had already agreed to work beyond his 30-year pensionable service to 2028. However, he will now serve an additional three years. ...

Former NPCC chief to step down as head of Border Command after 18 months in post

The Home Office confirmed Martin Hewitt would leave the post of border security commander after 18 months in the job. Sir Keir Starmer appointed Mr Hewitt, a former chair of the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) shortly after becoming Prime Minister – tasking him with curbing the number of small… It is understood he will leave at the end of the month, with an interim replacement taking over before his permanent successor is announced....

Michelle Skeer appointed interim Chief HMIC following imminent retirement of Andy Cooke

Michelle Skeer has been designated as interim chief inspector by the Home Secretary, following an expression-of-interest process open to serving His Majesty’s Inspectors. She will take up the post on 1 April 2026. Michelle will be the first woman to hold the position of His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary… She succeeds Sir Andy Cooke, who leaves office in March 2026. The appointment process for a permanent chief inspector is being managed by the Home Office.  ...

Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith set to leave Warwickshire for private sector

In a statement this week, Chief Constable Alex Franklin-Smith said he had opted to pursue new opportunities outside the service after serving as chief for 18 months. Reflecting on a career that saw him work at Surrey Police, West Mercia Police and Warwickshire Police, together with a secondment to the… The outgoing chief spent more than two decades in policing, including 19 years with Warwickshire Police....

Temporary Chief Constable Darren Martland is preferred candidate says PCC

After a brief retirement from policing, T/CC Martland lectured to undergraduates studying for a BSc. in Professional Policing and returned to Cumbria in July 2023 as the Deputy Chief Constable. He started his policing career in Merseyside Police in 1990, working in a number of uniform operational roles in both… After stints in Merseyside, Cheshire and Cumbria, Darren Martland was a univeristy lecturer before coming out of retirement and rejoining his last force in July 2023....

West Mercia announce Carl Williams as its new ACC

In a statement, West Mercia Police said ACC Williams had been the successful candidate after a comprehensive recruitment process. He began his career in 2006, and has a background that includes leadership across neighbourhood policing, specialist operations, strategic command, and national policing functions. His previous roles have included Chief Superintendent… The force said Dr Carl Williams currently serves with Gwent Police and will bring with him two decades of "varied and distinguished" policing experience....