David James Reid Strang is a former senior police officer and public servant from

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

. He has worked in a number of senior roles in the

criminal justice Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have been accused of committing crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions. Goals include the rehabilitation of offenders, preventing other ...

sector, most notably as Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police and

Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland HM Inspectorate of Prisons for Scotland was established in 1981, following recommendations of the May Committee report of 1979. The Inspectorate is directly funded by the Scottish Government. As of July 2018, His Majesty's Chief Inspector of P ...

Early life and education

Strang was born in Glasgow and studied at Glasgow Academy and

Loretto School Loretto School, founded in 1827, is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 0 to 18. The campus occupies in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland. History The school was founded by the Reverend Thomas Langhorne in 1827. L ...

.
Keele University, biography for David Strang, accessed 16/12/2011 Strang then went on to study engineering science at the

University of Durham , mottoeng = Her foundations are upon the holy hills ( Psalm 87:1) , established = (university status) , type = Public , academic_staff = 1,830 (2020) , administrative_staff = 2,640 (2018/19) , chancellor = Sir Thomas Allen , vice_ch ...

, graduating with a BSc, before studying for an MSc in organisational behaviour at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degre ...

Police career

Strang began his police career with the Metropolitan Police in 1980.
Lothian and Borders, biography for David Strang, accessed 16/12/2011 He was posted to a number of different divisions as well as time with

Criminal Investigation Department The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the branch of a police force to which most plainclothes detectives belong in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth nations. A force's CID is distinct from its Special Branch (though officers of ...

, Territorial Support Group and a secondment to the

Police Staff College, Bramshill The Police Staff College, Bramshill, Bramshill House, Bramshill, (near Hook) Hampshire, England, was until 2015 the principal police staff training establishment in England and Wales. History The need for a training college for the police ...

. After rising to divisional commander of Wembley Division, he left the force in 1998 and was appointed assistant chief constable of Lothian and Borders Police. In August 2001 Strang was appointed chief constable of Dumfries and Galloway Police. He led a number of initiatives, focusing on alcohol and drug action as well as youth justice and was president of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland during the 2004/05 year.
ACPOS website, Board of Directors, accessed 16/12/2011 On 29 March 2007 he was appointed chief constable of Lothian and Borders Police and served in that role until the force was amalgamated into

Police Scotland Police Scotland ( gd, Poileas Alba), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist service ...

Work with Prisons

Strang was a member of the Scottish Prisons Commission which published a report entitled ''Scotland's Choice'' in 2008. In 2013 he was appointed as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland in succession to Hugh Munro, a post which he held until 2018. He was subsequently appointed as chair of the Independent Inquiry into Mental Health Services in Tayside.
The Independent Inquiry into Mental Health Services in Tayside website, About Us, accessed 18/06/19

Drug Deaths Taskforce

Strang was appointed Chair of the Scottish Government's Drugs Death Taskforce in January 2022, following the resignation of Professor Catriona Matheson in December 2021.

Honours and Awards

* He received the

Honorary Degree An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad ho ...

of Doctor of the University (D.Univ) from the

University of Stirling The University of Stirling (, gd, Oilthigh Shruighlea (abbreviated as Stir or Shruiglea, in post-nominals) is a public university in Stirling, Scotland, founded by royal charter in 1967. It is located in the Central Belt of Scotland, built ...

on 23 November 2018.
University of Stirling website, Former prisons chief inspector and leading environmentalist to receive honour at Stirling graduation, accessed 18/06/2019

Order of the British Empire (Civil) Ribbon

UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon

Police Long Service and Good Conduct ribbon

References

External links

Lothian and Borders Police - David Strang QPM BSc MSc
{{DEFAULTSORT:Strang, David British Chief Constables Living people People educated at the Glasgow Academy People educated at Loretto School, Musselburgh British prison inspectors Scottish recipients of the Queen's Police Medal Alumni of Hatfield College, Durham Year of birth missing (living people) Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Scottish police officers category:Officers in Scottish police forces category:Metropolitan Police officers