Darryl Preston is a British Conservative Party politician and former police officer, who currently serves as the

Cambridgeshire Police and Crime Commissioner The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Police and Crime Commissioner is the police and crime commissioner, an elected official tasked with setting out the way crime is tackled by the Cambridgeshire Constabulary in the English County of Cambridgeshi ...

Career

Police Career

Darryl Preston joined the Metropolitan Police (Met) in 1983, serving for approximately a decade in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He then moved to

Cambridgeshire Constabulary Cambridgeshire Constabulary is the local territorial police force that covers the county of Cambridgeshire and the Peterborough district of the ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire administered by the unitary authority of Peterborough City Co ...

- either in 1993 or 1998, according to varying sources - and spent around 20 years policing in the county. During his time there, he served in a wide range of roles, including as a frontline and neighbourhood officer, as well as a detective. His work spanned areas such as homicide, covert units, public order, Diplomatic Protection (notably guarding

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013), was a British stateswoman who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of th ...

), public protection, and burglary and homicide squads.

Post-Policing Career & PCC Role

Darryl Preston retired from active police duty in 2017 and subsequently took on a senior role at the

Association of Police and Crime Commissioners A police and crime commissioner (PCC; ) is an elected official in England and Wales responsible for generally overseeing police services. A police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC) is an elected official in England responsible for generally ...

(APCC) in

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

. There, he contributed to shaping national policing policy, leading on key issues such as serious violence, economic crime, sexual offences, forensics and biometrics. His responsibilities included lobbying and chairing All‑Party Parliamentary Groups. In May 2021, he was elected as

Police and Crime Commissioner A police and crime commissioner (PCC; ) is an elected official in England and Wales responsible for generally overseeing police services. A police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC) is an elected official in England responsible for generally ...

(PCC) for

Cambridgeshire Cambridgeshire (abbreviated Cambs.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the north-east, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfor ...

, succeeding the interim PCC. His campaign, marked by the hashtag #GetCrimeCut, focused on priorities including increasing officer numbers, reducing crime, improving rural and road safety, and supporting victims. He officially took office on 13 May 2021. In July of that year, he was appointed by the APCC as the national lead for forensics and biometrics - portfolios central to enhancing national policing capabilities. Preston was re-elected in May 2024 for a second term, formally reaffirming his commitment to integrity, public safety, and community policing by signing the oath and the Code of Ethics. In December 2024, he launched the 2025-28 Police and Crime Plan, which emphasises early intervention, tackling crime and antisocial behaviour (ASB), supporting victims and witnesses, and building public trust, with strategies shaped by local consultation. Under his leadership, Cambridgeshire saw police officer numbers rise to a record 1,732 by March 2024. Significant reductions in crime followed: neighbourhood crime fell by 24%, burglary by 37%, ASB by 30%, knife crime by 25%, and rural crime by 21%, among other achievements.

References

Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century Metropolitan Police officers Officers in English police forces Police and crime commissioners in England Conservative Party police and crime commissioners Place of birth missing (living people) {{UK-politician-stub