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Joanna Farrell (born September 1968) is a British police officer, and current Chief Constable of Police Scotland. On 14 June 2023, it was announced that she had been appointed as
Police Scotland
Police Scotland (), 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 services of the Scottis ...
's first female Chief Constable. She replaced Sir Iain Livingstone, who retired in August 2023.
Life
Farrell was born in Wirral,Cheshire
Cheshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Merseyside to the north-west, Greater Manchester to the north-east, Derbyshire to the east, Staffordshire to the south-east, and Shrop ...
, and moved to Cambridge at the age of 15 when her father relocated there for work. After achieving a degree in Business Studies at Sheffield Polytechnic
Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield railway station, while the Collegiate C ...
, she joined Cambridgeshire Police as a Police Constable
A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an police officer, officer within a police ser ...
in 1991, at the age of 22. She was promoted five years later, and in 2002, moved to Northumbria Police
Northumbria Police is a territorial police force in England, responsible for policing the ceremonial counties of Northumberland and Tyne and Wear. It is the largest police force in the North East by geographical area and number of officers. T ...
to take up the role of Chief Inspector, and was later promoted to Assistant Chief Constable
Assistant chief constable (ACC) is the third highest rank in all British territorial police forces (except the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police, in which the equivalent rank is commander
Commander (commonly abbreviated as C ...
. She joined Durham Constabulary in 2016, and was appointed as its first female Chief Constable in 2019. During her tenure as Chief Constable of Durham, the force introduced a new approach to dealing with rape suspects, and during the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
investigated Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer
Sir Keir Rodney Starmer (born 2 September 1962) is a British politician and lawyer who has served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom since 2024 and as Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party since 2020. He previously ...
for a potential breach of COVID-19 regulations.
Farrell's appointment as Chief Constable of Police Scotland was made by the Scottish Police Authority
The Scottish Police Authority (SPA), (), is a public body of the UK Government which holds Police Scotland, the national police service, to account. Both bodies were established on 1 April 2013, following an announcement on 8 September 2011 in ...
following the announcement that Iain Livingstone
Sir Iain Thomas Livingstone, (born 6 October 1966) is a Scottish solicitor and retired police officer who served as Chief Constable of Police Scotland. He is currently leadinKenova a series of historical investigations and reviews in relation t ...
would retire from the role in August 2023. Her appointment was confirmed by Angela Constance
Angela Constance (born 15 July 1970) is a Scottish politician serving as Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs since 2023. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Alm ...
, Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Justice
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Fili ...
, on 14 June 2023. She was the first woman to lead the Scottish force when she assumed that role in October 2023. Her previous force is one of the smallest in the UK, while Police Scotland is the second-largest.
In December 2023 she announced that Police Scotland would begin rolling out the use of body cameras
A body camera, bodycam, body-worn video (BWV), body-worn camera, or wearable camera is a wearable technology, wearable audio, video, or photographic recording system.
Body cameras have a range of uses and designs, of which the best-known us ...
from summer 2024.
Honours
References
1968 births Living people British women police officers Chief Constables of Police Scotland People from the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral Alumni of Sheffield Hallam University {{Authority control