New chair of NPCC appointed
Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt has been appointed as Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) from April 2019.
Mr Hewitt has been Vice Chair of the NPCC since 2015.
The appointment comes as Sara Thornton, the current chair, completes her four-year term in office next March.
Mr Hewitt joined Kent Police in 1993, moving to the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) in 2005, where he is currently the lead for frontline policing, which encompasses local policing and specialist crime commands in London, and formerly led on the police response to adult sexual offences and kidnap.
Mr Hewitt said: “I am looking forward to leading the NPCC’s important work from next April and building on the strong foundations that Sara has laid.”
Ms Thornton paid tribute to her successor, saying: “I’m delighted that Martin will be the new Chair of the NPCC in April 2019.
“He’s a hugely experienced operational chief, who has dealt with some of policing’s toughest challenges. I have every confidence that he will be a great leader.”
Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) Chair Mark Burns-Williamson said: “Congratulations to DAC Martin Hewitt on his appointment as the new incoming Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council.
“I look forward to working with Martin when he formally takes up his new position in April 2019 continuing with the important and strategic partnership work between the APCC and NPCC that has been progressed under the leadership of Chief Constable Sara Thornton and my predecessors at APCC.”
The tenure of the chair is for a maximum of four years: an initial two years, which can be extended by a further two years.
