New Chief Constable joins Lancashire
Chris Rowley took the position of Chief Constable of Lancashire Constabulary on Thursday 1 April 2021 – and says he’s very proud to be taking the helm at one of the country’s top performing police forces.
Chris was chosen as Andy Rhodes’ successor in a competitive selection process led by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Clive Grunshaw, in December last year. He joins us on promotion from his previous role of Deputy Chief Constable of Humberside Police, a post he’d held since 2017.
Chris has spent most of his career in West Yorkshire, amassing 25 years’ service working mainly in local policing and crime. As an Ops Manager he successfully reduced the number of repeat burglaries by introducing a predictive policing model, and as a Chief Superintendent he led on major change programmes across the force. He also has vast experience in policing large scale incidents and major events.
Prior to being promoted to T/ACC at South Yorkshire, Chris was Head of the West Yorkshire Police Protective Services Crime Department and Head of the Regional Organised Crime Unit for Yorkshire and the Humber, where he dealt with the most serious and complex crimes facing the force and the county.
Chris was appointed as Deputy Chief Constable of Humberside Police in October 2017, leading a broad and challenging portfolio encompassing Corporate Development (Strategic Change, Performance, Audit and Inspection and Demand), Professional Standards, Information Management & Security, Communications and Legal Services.
Chris is married and has two grown up sons. He is a borne and bred Yorkshireman and knows that crossing the Pennines into Lancashire as the first external Chief Constable in thirty years is no mean feat.
Speaking about his appointment to Lancashire Constabulary, CC Rowley said: “I am really looking forward to getting to know the staff in Lancashire for myself, as wherever I go, people always speak so highly of the force and its people. I have always held Lancashire in high regard and consider it a real privilege to serve as Chief Constable.
“I am passionate about delivering the best possible service to our communities and to victims of crime; that’s our core business. I’m also committed to ensuring that our staff have the right training and support to be able to do this. I want to get out and about over the next few weeks and months to meet people, listen to them and talk through ideas that we can develop to ensure we continue to meet those high standards in the future.”
Chris said: “If you see me, please do come and speak to me. I like a good, strong cup of tea and a biscuit and I love speaking to staff and finding out what’s working, what’s not and where I can help continue to improve what is already a fantastic organisation.”