THAMES Valley Police’s outgoing chief constable has said that he looks back at his time in the role with “a sense of pride”.
Speaking to Reading Today, Mr John Campbell was full of praise for the work carried out by TVP during his tenure – a period which featured the Covid-19 pandemic, the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the Reading terror attack.
The chief constable will retire from the force at the end of March, bringing the curtain down on 34 years of police service with West Midlands Police, Hampshire Constabulary and TVP.
He explained: “I definitely look back at my time in the force with a sense of pride. Some of the work that we do now is something that we didn’t do when I first joined. We have an awful lot more of a footprint around people with mental health – that certainly wasn’t considered to be a role for the police.
“On top of that, you’ve got emerging crime types, such as cyber crime and online fraud. The essence of being a police officer hasn’t changed, which is that you’re there to protect people, reduce crime and disorder, and be there when people are in need.”
Mr Campbell came from a family with a history of policing and spent time as a cadet before joining West Midlands Police in 1988. He transferred to Hampshire Constabulary in 2001.
He joined TVP nine years later where he became assistant chief constable for uniform operations and crime, going on to be appointed deputy chief constable in May 2015.
In these roles, Mr Campbell has worked in various disciplines, including criminal investigation, specialist operations and local policing, and also as in hostage and crisis negotiating.
He was the commander responsible for the policing of the South East regional phase of the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.
The promotion to chief constable was confirmed in February 2019, as Mr Campbell took over from predecessor Sir Francis Habgood.
He was barely a year into the post when he and his team had to negotiate the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. He admitted his tenure had been rather unique.
He explained: “Policing during Covid was remarkable times. And then, being a force that covers places like Windsor, we have the honour and privilege of policing royal events – we’ve done a number in my time.
“State visits and jubilee events are very joyous, but then we had the sad deaths of Prince Philip, and more recently, Her Majesty the Queen.
“Prince Philip’s event was more modest and quieter, because it was during Covid, with some restrictions. We saw the terribly sad images of the Queen sitting there alone in St George’s Chapel. And then much more of a public national event in terms of her final journey to Windsor.
“We played a part on that final part of the journey and I’m very proud to be involved in those.”
He added that, although the police’s role was to make sure the thousands who attended these events were safe, it was also important to recognise that they were, ultimately, family funerals.
“I thought the force did an amazing job for the whole of the mourning period after [the Queen’s] death and on the day itself,” he said.
Two of the most difficult incidents of Mr Campbell’s tenure involved the death of PC Andrew Harper and the Forbury Gardens terror attack.
He explained: “My tenure started off with the really sad incident of the death of Andrew Harper, who was unlawfully killed whilst out on patrol.”
The chief constable noted the impact it had on the force and his loved ones, and commended the work done his wife, Lissie, in achieving Harper’s Law.
“Unfortunately it sometimes takes extreme events for the vast members of the public to remember what their officers do day in, day out,” Mr Campbell said.
“The tragedy which followed and the manner of his death brought it home to many people. The force was inundated with best wishes and it was a really unwelcome reminder of the risks that police officers face on our behalf.
“It’s a shame that sometimes you need such a sad event to act as a catalyst for people to reflect on the endeavours of my staff.”
The chief constable quoted Sir Robert Peel, the so-called father of modern policing in the 1820s, who pointed out that the “police are the public and the public are the police” when explaining TVP’s commitment to recruiting from the local community.
He added that it was important for the force to “represent the community that it serves” to enhance the relationship between the police and members of the public.
Care has been taken to treat people with respect and dignity when the police use its powers, for example when issuing Section 60s. Mr Campbell said the measure wasn’t something the police use lightly and only do so rarely.
Jason Hogg, who has been deputy chief constable at TVP since 2019, will take over from Mr Campbell on Saturday, April 1.
With regards to next steps, Mr Campbell will look to take a well-earned break from the rigours of the force.
He said: “I’m just going to relax for a bit. My role means that I’m on-call 24 hours a day, which you’d expect – and I’m asking for no sympathy by the way – it can make the job very interesting.
“So I’ll just enjoy maybe not being quite so full on for a bit, and then see where the world will take me, but with a sense of real pride in the force. My best wishes go to Jason who’s taken over from me.”
The chief constable urged those with an interest in a career in policing not to hesitate in reaching out to the force.
“If you’ve not had much to do with [the force], it can feel a little bit daunting, but I promise you, we’re ordinary people, really,” Mr Campbell said.
“I’ve had a fabulous career and my colleagues, both police officers and police staff, have had fabulous careers at TVP.
“If you want to do a job which adds real value to society, gives something back, looks after people and is different every single day, then policing is definitely a career for you.
“In the last three years, in addition to our normal staffing levels, we recruited an additional 609 officers and of those, 43% were women and almost 19% were from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic background, which is doubling the numbers we’ve had in recent times. We’re very proud of that.”
He advised anyone who is interested in pursuing a career in policing to check TVP’s website: www.thamesvalley.police.uk
