Could John Campbell be the next Thames Valley Chief Constable?

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Thames Valley, Anthony Stansfeld, has chosen John Campbell as his proposed appointment for Thames Valley Police Chief Constable.
Anthony Stansfeld and John CampbellAnthony Stansfeld and John Campbell
Anthony Stansfeld and John Campbell

John Campbell is the current Deputy Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police, a position he has held since 2015.

Anthony Stansfeld said: “After a detailed selection process I am delighted to announce that John Campbell is my preferred candidate to be appointed as the next Chief Constable for Thames Valley Police. I look forward to working closely with him in the future.”

Deputy Chief Constable John Campbell said: “I feel privileged to be chosen as the preferred candidate for the next Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police.

“I am very proud to have been a Chief Officer with Thames Valley Police for more than eight years, and look forward to taking over from an outstanding Chief Constable in Francis Habgood. I hope to build on his successes in my tenure as Chief.

“It will be an honour to lead all those who work and volunteer for us so that we can continue to deliver a police force that protects the communities of the Thames Valley and gives the public the standard of service that they deserve.”

The appointment is subject to a confirmation hearing by the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel who will review the Police and Crime Commissioner’s proposed appointment on Friday 1 February.

John has 30 years police service and has worked in three police forces. He originally joined West Midlands Police in 1988, before transferring to Hampshire Constabulary in 2001 and joined Thames Valley Police in July 2010.

He has held operational and command roles across a number of disciplines, including criminal investigation, specialist operations and local policing and worked as a Hostage and Crisis negotiator.

Whilst in Hampshire he spent four years as the Police Commander in Portsmouth and then became the Chief Superintendent in charge of Uniform Operations, before joining Thames Valley. He later went on to command uniform operations across both Forces as Assistant Chief Constable (Operations), moving to ACC Crime in 2013 and Deputy Chief Constable in May 2015.

John is an experienced operational commander and as Chief Officer in Thames Valley was responsible for the policing of the Olympic events, including the South East regional phase of the Torch Relay. He also led the multi-agency response to the Flooding in Oxfordshire and Berkshire in 2014. He has also commanded numerous firearms and public order events.

He leads nationally for the Police in respect of how the respond to Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear incidents and attacks.