Thames Valley Police Chief Constable announces decision to retire

The Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police has announced that he is to retire.

Chief Constable, Francis Habgood, will retire at the end of March 2019 when he will have been the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police for four years, served more than fifteen years within the Thames Valley Police force and more than thirty two years in the police service.

In his statement released on Tuesday 16th October 2018, Chief Constable Habgood said: ‘Next year I will have completed over 32 years service in policing, 15 years of those as a chief officer in Thames Valley Police.

At the end March 2019 my term as Chief Constable concludes and I have decided that it is the right time for both me and the Force that I retire.‘

Chief Constable Habgood joined West Yorkshire Police in 1987, where he worked in a variety of operational roles. He joined Thames Valley Police in January 2004 as Assistant Chief Constable, where he covered all portfolios, including Crime, Operations and Local Policing. During this time he also spent three months helping to train future Chief Officers as a syndicate director on the Strategic Command Course.

In October 2008 he was promoted to Deputy Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police and became Chief Constable in April 2015.

In 2012, Chief Constable Habgood was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal.

‘I will always love policing and it’s been an honour to serve the public, most recently as Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police,‘ he added. ‘Thames Valley Police is an excellent force and I am privileged to lead the dedicated officers, staff and volunteers who work for us.

In the coming months I remain fully committed to meeting the challenges we face and will continue to work tirelessly to make our communities safer.‘

Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley Police, Anthony Stansfeld said: ‘It is with considerable regret that I have received notice from the Chief Constable, Francis Habgood, that he will be leaving Thames Valley Police when his contract ends on the 31st March 2019.

He has been an outstanding Chief Constable and throughout the last four years we have had an excellent relationship and I will be very sorry to lose him.

During this period Thames Valley Police has been rated by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Service (HMICFRS) as one of the highest ranked police forces in the country and this is greatly down to his leadership.

The Chief Constable will continue to lead Thames Valley Police over the next five months as we now enter a period of recruitment for his successor.‘

The process for the recruitment of a Chief Constable is set out in guidance published by the Home Office and the College of Policing. The Police and Crime Commissioner plans to advertise the role in early November 2018 and the intention is that the process for selecting a preferred candidate will be completed before Christmas 2018.

As part of the formal selection and appointment process, the preferred candidate will be required to appear before a Police and Crime Panel Confirmation Hearing, early in the New Year, 2019.