Sir Douglas Osmond (27 June 1914 – 20 April 2006) was the chief constable of

Shropshire Constabulary Shropshire Constabulary was the territorial police force responsible for policing rural Shropshire in central England from 1840 until 1967, when it became part of West Mercia Constabulary. History The Shropshire Constabulary was formed along with ...

and later

Hampshire Constabulary The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in South East England.Hampshire Constabulary, 2012 Retrieved 27 April 2012 The force area in ...

Biography

Douglas Osmond was born in

Bournemouth Bournemouth ( ) is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area, in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. At the 2021 census, the built-up area had a population of 196,455, making it the largest ...

, the son of a schoolteacher mother and a father who was killed in action during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. He was educated at local schools, and in 1932 won a Kitchener Scholarship to read Mathematics at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

."Sir Douglas Osmond obituary". ''Daily Telegraph'', 28 April 2006
Archived
from the original on 19 May 2006. Retrieved 19 January 2023. He joined the Metropolitan Police in 1935, where he rose to Inspector, before joining the

Royal Navy during the Second World War The Royal Navy was an important component of the Allied forces during the Second World War and made a significant contribution to the victory over the Axis powers. Its main tasks included the protection of merchant ships in the Atlantic against ...

. After the war he returned to the police and was appointed as the Chief Constable of Shropshire, (now part of

West Mercia Constabulary West Mercia Police (), formerly the West Mercia Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Herefordshire, Shropshire (including Telford and Wrekin) and Worcestershire in England. The force area cover ...

), in 1946. At 32, he was one of the youngest to have achieved this position in the United Kingdom. (The youngest was Sir Eric St Johnston who, in 1940 at the age of 29, was appointed chief constable of Oxfordshire Constabulary). Equally remarkable was his rise through the ranks at a time when most chief constables were externally appointed. In 1962, Osmond left to become the chief constable of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, and in 1967 he presided over its amalgamation with the Portsmouth and Southampton city forces. At this point the force was renamed

and Osmond remained chief constable until his retirement from the post in 1977.

Death

Osmond died on 20 April 2006, aged 91.

Honours

During his life Osmond received the following honors: *1958:

OBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

*1962:

Queen's Police Medal The King's Police Medal (KPM) is awarded to police in the United Kingdom for gallantry or distinguished service. It was also formerly awarded within the wider British Empire, including Commonwealth countries, most of which now have their own hono ...

*1968:

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

*1971: Officer of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem *1971:

Knight Bachelor The title of Knight Bachelor is the basic rank granted to a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not inducted as a member of one of the organised Order of chivalry, orders of chivalry; it is a part of the Orders, decorations, and medals ...

*1981: Deputy Lieutenant of

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

References

Sources

*Rolling, S. (2006). "Obituary - Douglas Osmond". Frontline (Hampshire Constabulary newspaper). June 2005. Portsmouth.
(2006). "Sir Douglas Osmond obituary". Daily Telegraph. 28 April 2006.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Osmond, Douglas British Chief Constables Knights Bachelor Alumni of University College London English recipients of the Queen's Police Medal 1914 births 2006 deaths 20th-century Metropolitan Police officers Commanders_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire

Biography

Death

Honours

See also

References

Sources