Sara Thornton (police officer)

Sara Joanne Thornton CBE QPM (born 27 December 1962[1]) is a British police officer who is the first head of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) and the former Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police[2][3] and Vice President of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO). She is the second consecutive head of the Thames Valley Police to move onto leadership of a national policing body; at Thames Valley she replaced former Chief Constable Peter Neyroud who, in January 2007, moved to the role of Chief Executive of the National Policing Improvement Agency.

Thornton was born in Poole, Dorset. She attended the University of Durham and gained a BA in philosophy and politics. Thornton also has a Diploma in Applied Criminology from the Cambridge Institute of Criminology.[1]

Thornton's policing career began with the Metropolitan Police in 1986. For the next 14 years she alternated between operational postings in West London and strategic roles within New Scotland Yard. She joined Thames Valley Police as the Assistant Chief Constable for Specialist Operations in November 2000 and was appointed Deputy Chief Constable in August 2003, where her responsibilities included performance and developing the strategic direction for the Force. More recently she has played a pivotal role in implementing Neighbourhood Policing across the Thames Valley.

On 1 December 2014 it was announced that Thornton would leave Thames Valley Police to become the chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council, (NPCC) effectively taking over from Sir Hugh Orde. The NPCC replaced the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) in April 2015. Thornton also took over from Sir Hugh Orde as Patron of the Police Roll of Honour Trust.[4]

Honours

In June 2006 she was awarded the Queen's Police Medal.[5] She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2011 New Year Honours,[6] for services to the police.[7]

In February 2013 she was assessed as the 18th most powerful woman in Britain by Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 Who's Who 2009. online edition: (London: A & C Black, 2008); online ed., (Oxford: OUP, 2008),.
  2. ↑ Sara Thornton appointed top cop
  3. ↑ "Force spending £1m on interpreters". The Guardian. September 20, 2007.
  4. ↑ http://www.policememorial.org.uk/index.php?page=trust-staff
  5. ↑ http://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/aboutus/aboutus-ccmt/aboutus-ccmt-cc.htm
  6. ↑ The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59647. p. 8. 31 December 2010.
  7. ↑ "Thames Valley Police chief constable appointed CBE". BBC News. 31 December 2010. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
  8. ↑ BBC Radio 4, Woman's Hour Power list
Police appointments
Preceded by
Peter Neyroud		 Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police
2007 — 2015 		Succeeded by
Francis Habgood

External links

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