`Reforming` Naval officer appointed new HM Inspector

A former rear admiral and latest non-police appointment to the senior ranks of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) has vowed to promote further reform of the service.

Matthew Parr will replace Stephen Otter – who left the organisation earlier this year – as Her Majesty’s Inspector with responsibility for police forces in the London region, non-Home Office forces and the National Crime Agency.

He will also have responsibility for inspecting counter terrorism and organised crime policing.

The departure of Mr Otter – who served as the chief constable of Devon and Cornwall police between 2007 and 2012 – means former Staffordshire chief constable Mike Cunningham is now the only inspector with experience as a serving officer.

Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Constabulary Sir Tom Winsor became the first HM Chief Inspector to be appointed without a policing background in 2012.

Home Secretary Amber Rudd said: “Matthew brings a wealth of expertise and experience from his career in the Royal Navy that will be invaluable in his new role and I look forward to working with him in the future.”

Mr Parr will join Wendy Williams, Zoe Billingham, Mike Cunningham and Dru Sharpling – currently seconded to the panel for the independent inquiry into child sexual abuse – in scrutinising forces.

He said: “Policing is a crucial and demanding public service and I look forward to using the experience I have gained in a rewarding career in the Navy to help promote further reform and improvement,”

Mr Parr joined the Royal Navy in 1984 and specialised in submarine vessels a year later. He rose through the ranks before commanding HMS Trafalgar, a 5,300-tonne submarine.

In 2001, he took charge of the frigate HMS Montrose as well as captain of the sixth frigate squadron.

Six years later he was made commander of the British forces in Gibraltar, this was followed by a promotion to director of operational capability at the Ministry of Defence in March 2009 and a further move to principal staff officer to the chief of the defence staff the following year.

Mr Parr became assistant chief of the naval staff in December 2011 and two years later took on his final role within the service as commander of operations and rear admiral, submarines, which he held from May 2013 until his retirement in April this year.

Responding to the appointment Calum Macleod, vice-chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said Mr Parr will need to take the time to understand policing and the demands on officers in the current climate.

“HMIC plays an important role in effectively assessing police forces and identifying best practice, but must ensure its increasing inspection regime is delivered in a balanced way, a way that doesn’t further impact on taking away from both an already over stretched front line and over stretched budgets. It must be about more than ticking boxes,” he said.

Mr Parr is married to former BBC journalist Marianne and has three daughters.