Policing a perplexed society – people, skills, training, transformation

Sara Thornton is the first Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council. Sara joined the Metropolitan Police Service in 1986 and over the next fifteen years her career alternated between operational postings in West London and strategic roles within New Scotland Yard. She served with Thames Valley Police as Assistant Chief Constable, Deputy Chief Constable and Acting Chief Constable before holding the role of Chief Constable for eight years until March 2015. She has also been Chair of ACPO Intelligence Portfolio, Vice-Chair of ACPO Terrorism and Allied Matters, Director of the Police National Assessment Centre and ACPO Vice-President.

Sara is a member of the Royal College of Defence Studies, the Advisory Board for the Oxford University Centre for Criminology and the International Advisory Board for the Cambridge Executive Police Programme. She is a graduate of Durham University, also holding a Master of Studies (MSt) degree in Applied Criminology and Police Management from Cambridge University alongside honorary doctorates from Oxford Brookes University and Buckinghamshire New University.

Sara was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in 2006 and made a Commander in the Order of the British Empire in 2011. She has also been recognised with a Career Achievement Award from the Police Training Authority Trustees and the Sir Robert Peel Medal for Outstanding Leadership in Evidence-Based Policing.

Stephen Otter is a Cityforum Associate and a non-executive director on the board of the Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust and the award winning Exeter based company called Pluss, which supports disabled and disadvantaged people into employment.

From 2012 to May 2016, Stephen was one of Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Constabulary, responsible for inspecting policing and law enforcement in areas which included the Metropolitan Police, National Crime Agency, and counter terrorism policing. Prior to this, he was the Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police, where he combined leading the 6,000 strong police force with being the national lead on equality, diversity and human rights for the Association of Chief Police Officers.

In 2008, Stephen was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal. He holds a Criminal Justice Master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Post Graduate Diploma in criminology from Cambridge University. He is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Arts.

Katy Bourne is the Police & Crime Commissioner for Sussex. She was elected by the public to serve a second term in office in May 2016.

As Police & Crime Commissioner, Katy sets the strategic direction and priorities for policing in Sussex. She is also responsible for setting the police budget (approx £250m) and the local police precept as well as holding the Chief Constable to account for the delivery and performance of the force. In addition, Katy has a statutory duty to commission support services for victims of crime and deliver community safety initiatives and crime reduction grants.

Katy is a Board Director of the national College of Policing and Chair of the national Police ICT Company. She is also Chair of the Sussex Criminal Justice Board, a member of the Home Secretary’s National Domestic Abuse Oversight Group and Chair of the Association of PCCs, Performance, Standards & Accountability Group.