Towards Excellence Conference 2025

Wednesday 21 May 2025
8:30am to 4:30pm

Colchester United Football Club Community Stadium, Essex

Agenda

Speaker biographies

Richard Leicester
Kent and Essex Police Director of Human Resources, Leadership and Development

Richard Leicester is Director of Human Resources is the Chief Officer lead on the development and delivery of strategic human resources and learning and development across both Kent Police and Essex Police.

Richard has overall strategic responsibility for:

• The development and implementation of corporate people and learning strategies
• The delivery of learning and development
• Recruitment and people resourcing
• Operational and strategic human resources delivery
• Occupational health services
• Talent management and people development
• Performance Improvement Units

Richard successfully completed the Strategic Command Course (SCC) in 2018, is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and has substantial experience of leading both generalist and specialist human resource related functions. Richard has also been instrumental in leading the diversity function of Essex Police, ensuring that we treat everyone fairly and developing our staff support networks to fulfil our commitment of having a culture which is fully inclusive for all.

Lucy Morris
Assistant Chief Constable

Lucy Morris is the Assistant Chief Constable for Crime & Public Protection and Criminal Justice in Essex Police.  

Lucy joined Essex Police in 2001. Over the next two decades, she gained a wealth of experience and knowledge which saw her promoted to the role of Assistant Chief Constable in 2024. 

Lucy has spent much of her policing career in Detective roles. This included working in general investigative roles as well as more specialist areas, including a stint as a Detective Sergeant in Intelligence and Counter Terrorism across the Eastern region. 

Lucy returned to Essex as a Detective Inspector in 2008 and worked within our Major Crime team. She investigated the most serious and complex crimes in Essex. 

After spending a year as a staff officer, where she supported the then Chief Constable, Lucy returned to the Major Crime team. As a Detective Chief Inspector and a Senior Investigating officer, she led on many homicide investigations. 

In 2014, following a promotion to Detective Superintendent, Lucy joined our Crime and Public Protection team. This department investigates crimes involving our most vulnerable victims and some of our most dangerous offenders. She led on improving how Essex Police deal with these crimes, its offenders and the victims involved. 

In 2017 Lucy had twin boys and took the opportunity to have a career break, and went to live in France. 

Returning to Essex Police in 2020, Lucy oversaw Major, Economic and Cyber Crime in Essex. She also led work on how Essex Police would prevent homicides in the county. 

Two years later, Lucy became the Detective Chief Superintendent for the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate. Within this role, Lucy developed the idea of rapid debriefs following an incident involving serious violence. This was to identify intervention opportunities and prevent further violence from happening. This is now considered national best practice and is an essential part of our homicide prevention response. 

Lucy was appointed Assistant Chief Constable in June 2024 and took responsibility for our Crime & Public Protection and Criminal Justice portfolios.  Since arriving, Lucy has overseen the implementation of Op Soteria to improve serious sexual offences which is seeing an increase in our Rape solved rate, and has led the Custody Change Programme to see significant improvements to resourcing of custody sergeants, Health Care Providers and introduction of Designated Detention Officers.  Lucy has also taken over as strategic lead for Domestic Abuse and Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). 

As a busy working mum, Lucy is keen to support other parents with their policing careers. This includes improvement around flexible working. She continues to champion police staff, and in particular police staff investigators as strategic leaders. She also continues to utilise her qualifications to support serious crime investigations.

Ben Julian Harrington QPM
Essex Police Chief Constable

Brought up in North London and educated at Saint Ignatius College in Enfield, Ben-Julian - or ‘BJ’, started policing when he joined the Metropolitan Police Service in 1990 in what was then the Chingford and Walthamstow Division of North-East London. He brought with him experience working in Customs and Excise as well as having been a reserve soldier in the Parachute Regiment.

BJ worked his way through the ranks from response officer (responding to 999 calls for help) to become Area Commander for North-West London in October 2014. In that time, he also led the Tottenham High Road and the Broad Water Farm Estate team, oversaw the Secure Counter Terrorist Custody suite at Paddington Green, and was Superintendent in charge of Crime and Operations in Lewisham. Finally, as the Borough Commander for Camden he continued his close work with communities, policing diverse and complex parts of the capital.

He has been Chief Constable of Essex Police since 2018 and has personally led the force’s Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion Strategy from the outset. Essex was one of the first forces to share body-worn video footage with community representatives to improve the way both officers and communities understand stop and search and the first force to launch a long-term recruitment and colleague retention campaign based on inclusion and shared values. He is committed to policing with the consent of all communities in Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock.

Robin Punt
Assistant Chief Officer

Robin Punt is the Assistant Chief Officer and Director of External Affairs, Engagement, and Communication at Essex Police. Robin is a member of the Society of Editors and serves as a Vice-Chair of the Association of Police Communicators. Robin's career began as a BBC and ITV News Correspondent, where he reported internationally in regions including Afghanistan, the United States of America, Egypt, Australia, and Western Europe, as well as across the United Kingdom. Robin spent over three years as a Senior Producer at BBC Newsnight.

With over twelve years of experience as a Communications Director and Head of Communications, Robin has successfully delivered strategies and campaigns for high-profile organisations and partnerships. Robin has extensive experience in managing crises and building trust & confidence within major organisations and their employees.

Robin joined Essex Police in 2019 after serving as the first Communications Director at Help for Heroes from 2013 to 2019, where he led successful campaigns to increase government compensation for seriously wounded veterans which helped to raise £300 million from the British public, including £15 million from the UK government ‘LIBOR’ scheme.

In 2024, Robin was appointed Assistant Chief Officer after completing the College of Policing Executive Leadership Programme (Cohort 1), with Merit, making him the only former professional journalist to complete the UK's most advanced policing leadership program.

Robin’s operational experience includes crisis communications, employee engagement, behavioural change campaigns, and content creation & evaluation. Robin has led the longest-running active domestic abuse perpetrator behavioural change campaign in partnership with the National Health Service, the Police Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, and Local Authority Leaders since 2022. Robin also led the regional communications response to the COVID-19 pandemic, during which Essex Police had the lowest sickness rate of all UK forces.

Robin has led Strategic Communications through several high-profile incidents, including the major incident involving the tragic deaths of thirty nine people found in the back of a lorry, the murder of a serving Member of Parliament in an act of terror, a long-running incident involving extensive Strategic Road Network disruption by climate activists, and the attempted abduction of a global celebrity. More recently Robin was the Gold Commander for a high-profile trust and confidence issue that received global attention.

Robin has presented at various conferences, including the National Police Chiefs Council/Association of Police and Crime Commissioners Conference in 2023, the Society of Editors in 2024, and the Senior Women in Policing Conference in 2024.

Robin has led the delivery of evidence-based professional communication skills to over 1,800 policing colleagues in 2023 and 2024 and has provided personal and corporate professional advice on strategy and operational communications to more than ten other forces since 2019.

Robin's achievements include winning the Royal Television Society Awards for an investigative documentary made for BBC2, the BBC Ruby Awards for Video Journalism, and receiving a Chief Constable’s Certificate of Merit for crisis communications for his work on the response to and investigation of the deaths of thirty nine men, women, and children in Grays, Essex, in 2019.

Fatima Whitbread MBE

Fatima Whitbread, MBE is a world javelin champion, world record holder and twice Olympic medallist. She was honoured with the Helen Rollason Award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2023. The Helen Rollason Award recognises outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.

After Fatima’s inspirational career as an athlete, the former BBC Sports Personality of the Year winner headed the Chafford Hundred elite runners club whose members included Linford Christie and Dame Kelly Holmes. Fatima has served as a school governor, is a qualified javelin coach, and spent many hours reporting at the Olympics. As well as being the last woman standing on I’m a Celebrity Get me Out of Here, she cooked her way to total victory on the all-sport-champion’s Come Dine with Me. In addition, she took part in a celebrity version of the Channel 4 show, Total Wipeout. Fatima delved into her family history filming for Channel 5’s My Secret Past-. Fatima had a fitness strand on This Morning and has also taken part on A Question of Sport, The Wright Stuff, Celebrity Blockbusters, Through the Keyhole with Keith Lemon and co-fronted the BBC Learning Campaign – Olympic Give an Hour.

Fatima was a contestant on the highly rated ITV series Eternal Glory’- and took part in Pilgrimage: The Road to Istanbul on BBC 2. She joined six other celebrities of differing faiths and beliefs to tackle a modern-day, 2,200-km pilgrimage across Eastern Europe to the historic city of Istanbul. In 2022 Fatima appeared in Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins. She broke three of her ribs while jumping out of a helicopter for a challenge but hid her suffering so she wouldn’t be pulled from the show. She most recently took part in ITV’s I’m a Celebrity South Africa where she came in third place. This was a show where some of the favourite contestants across the series came together to compete against each other.

Fatima’s best-selling autobiography Fatima: The Autobiography of Fatima Whitbread was published in 1989. Fatima’s second book, Survivor was published in July 2012 and is a truly inspirational story. Her third book ‘My Bright Shining Star’ was published in October 2024. My Bright Shining Star follows the story of a girl who finds herself living in a shared home away from her mother, yet through the love and support provided by confidant Aunty Rae she unlocks respect, self-worth and confidence.

Fatima is an engaging speaker who talks about her rise to success as an Olympic medallist and the trials and tribulations as she reached her goal. In addition, she talks animatedly about her TV career from I’m a Celebrity to her more recent documentaries.

Fatima has recently launched a campaign called 'Fatima's UK Campaign', aimed at helping children in care and care leavers. The hope is for children to fulfil their positive potential in an environment which fosters self-worth and confidence by means of providing the necessary support & resources to give each youngster the skills and to become productive members of society. As the founder of the Charity, Fatima wants to rejuvenate the children’s care system and pursue excellence across the four nations in working with the care system to create a nationalistic framework with the summit taking place in April 2025. The inaugural Summit is being organised to bring together cross-party politicians, decision makers, and representatives from all agencies and charities involved in the care system.

To donate:
Fatima’s UK Campaign
Registered Charity No: 1207064
Sort code 40-42-27

Lisa Leonce

Lisa has over 25 years’ experience as a successful Executive, Career and Leadership Coach supporting professionals through transitioning and achieving their desired role. An experienced Trainer and Consultant, designing and delivering bespoke services for organisations to improve and maintain effectiveness and inclusivity.

Lisa is an engaging and inspirational speaker, host and panellist, with the ability to address challenging topics in an informative, thought provoking and humorous way. She is a former radio host and producer for a weekly talk show. Lisa continues to serve as a Chairperson in the East London Magistrates Courts and is the Chair of the Essex Police Independent Advisory Group for Epping Forest and Brentwood.

Rachel Walton

Rachel Walton is a dedicated mother, acclaimed author, and Co-founder of African Families in the UK. With a strong belief in the transformative power of Community Ambassadors, Rachel has devoted her efforts to mentoring and guiding individuals who serve as catalysts for positive change within their communities.

In 2018, Rachel's exceptional contributions to her community were acknowledged with recognition by Her Majesty the Queen. Rachel is a staunch advocate for investing in Community Ambassadors, recognizing them as pivotal agents of sustainable change within communities.

Under Rachel's guidance, the Community Ambassadors she has mentored received the esteemed King’s Award last year, a testament to her effective leadership and mentorship. With a focus on safeguarding, law, safety, health, and social care, Rachel has actively engaged with ethnic minority groups, advocating for their rights and addressing systemic inequities. Through her involvement in various initiatives, Rachel has consistently demonstrated her ability to dismantle barriers and drive transformative change within diverse communities.

Hilary Okey

My name is Hilary Okey and I am 20 years old, I am a student from the University of Essex and I study Social Work, I am currently in my second year and my placement is taking place with the African Families in the UK. I was born in Italy but my parents are from Nigeria, as a result of my dual nationality I am bilingual as I am fluent in Italian, English and I can understand and speak my native language Igbo.

I chose Social Work as my undergraduate degree, because I want to work in the filed or supporting people in the Mental Wellbeing management. There is a chronic shortage of social workers and especially in the historically underserved communities like the one I come from. I also have a cultural lived experience perspective that I can bring to the discipline that is currently absent in the delivery of this crucial health service, and this is one of the reasons why my placement with the African Families in the UK (AFiUK) CIC id a very important one and has led me to be part of this project. AFiUK CIC like me are mostly interested in being part of a solution and this is what drives and motivates me.

Sam Fox

Sam has lived in Essex all her life and 11 years ago became totally blind. Sam now has two artificial eyes. This changed not only her life, but that of her husband and children. 

She now engages with two sight loss charities, every hospital in Essex, Mental Health Services, Crown Prosecution Service, Health Watch Essex, and of course, the police. 

Sam's aim is to raise awareness and break down the barriers that sensory impaired and disabled people face on a daily basis. 

Tim Tubbs
Essex Police Superintendent

Tim was born and raised in Kenya until he came to England in the middle of primary school. After studying Law at University, he began a short career in the gambling industry before taking a huge leap into the world of policing, commencing his journey in 2006 based in London. Tim has spent the majority of his service as a Constable and has an extensive background as a Detective. He has spent a significant amount of time in covert policing primarily in the Counter Terrorism space. He also has extensive experience in Public Order policing, which has included being deployed to the G20 riots of 2009, the London riots in 2011 and other major events.

Tim is a graduate of the National Fast Track programme. In 2019 as Detective Chief Inspector, he led on the implementation of a new Public Protection and Vulnerability structure. This was following reviewing and recommending a new operating model as part of a significant change project, finding efficiencies to reinvest into the new structure.

In 2021, Tim joined the College of Policing as their Police Uplift Programme lead as a Superintendent. Through this work, Tim led on many strands of work including the review and standardisation of recruitment for police officers, detectives and PCSOs. This involved working with staff associations, police Forces, National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC), higher education establishments and the Home Office. In 2022 he proudly joined Essex Police.

Tim is passionate about culture and inclusion and has established a national Race and Inclusion Forum which has representation from every Force in the UK. He supports colleagues around the country through mentoring and coaching and outside of the service, he is involved in volunteering as a UEFA B qualified football coach. He also continues to mentor teenagers from Black backgrounds, sharing his knowledge and experience to ready them for the challenges ahead. Tim is a huge ally of women and colleagues with protected characteristics, and actively pushes efforts to level the playing field whilst ensuring people can bring their whole selves to work. Tim is hugely committed to working with the community and partners to deliver the highest possible service. Maintaining trust and confidence sits at the heart of anything he does; he’s spoken with thousands of school children to improve their understanding of the opportunities policing can bring, whilst encouraging those from underrepresented communities to consider policing as a career choice.

Tim is the Force strategic lead for Burglary and Robbery. Through his leadership, the Force continues to make significant improvements in how it prevents, responds and investigates these crimes. He is also staff officer to the NPCC Race, Religion and Belief National portfolio holder where he also chairs the national delivery board. He has delivered products to support policing nationally.

Luke Watson
Essex Police Police Constable

PC Luke Watson serves as the Support Officer for the Multi-Ethnic Support Association (MESA). With nearly nine years of dedicated service in the Essex Police, Luke has earned recognition as "Britain’s Quickest Cop" and has been honoured with the Making A Difference award at the Essex Police Force Awards. Additionally, he was named Police Officer of the Year at the National Black Police Association Conference.

Before embarking on his policing career, Luke worked as a Sports Therapist, aiding various athletes and sports teams with injury management and rehabilitation. His passion for helping others has been a constant throughout his professional journey. The decision to join the police force was driven by his desire for a new and challenging experience, distinct from his previous roles.

Outside of his professional life, Luke enjoys music, film, sports, and motorcycles.

Leigh Norris
Essex Police Superintendent

Supt Leigh Norris left school in 1994 after completing A-Levels and joined Harrods as a retail management trainee. In 1995, he applied for Essex Police and in December 1996 joined and has been with the organisation ever since.

In his 28+ years service with Essex Police, he has always worked in operational/uniformed based roles, being in response and neighbourhood roles in Southend; Tactical Firearms; on the Operational Support Group; a negotiator; Thurrock District Commander; Force Control Room lead; Positive Action Team and Emergency Services Collaboration Team leads and now as the South Local Policing Area Ops Superintendent. Leigh is also the Prevent, Operation Union and Community Engagement tactical leads for Essex Police.

In his spare time, he is married and a father to a 13-year-old boy. Leigh enjoys sport and activity as well as volunteering and he is currently working on creating and launching his third community parkrun event.

This is Leigh’s third Towards Excellence Conference and he is looking forward to experiencing the day!

Neil Woodbridge

Neil Woodbridge was born in Essex way back in the 1960’s. Proudly an ‘Essex Man’ he moved to Tottenham in his formative years and lived there for the 80’s and into the 90’s.

Working alongside Disabled people, he is passionate about social justice and has been heavily involved in supporting people to both obtain and maintain their rights. A serial social entrepreneur he has established social business and charities with a not-for-profit drive. Alongside this he has always connected in and with communities. This led him to taking part in Neighbourhood Action Panels with the Met Police when things were very tense and ultimately as he came back to Essex with his family in the late 90’s to get involved in supporting Independent Advisory Groups.

Currently chair of Thurrock IAG and chairing the strategic IAG he hopes the connections we all make can enable communities to continue to be a critical friend to Essex Police and aide them on their journey to Excellence.

Gina Bonsu

Gina Bonsu is a Mum to three boys aged 16, 11 and 9.

Raised in Tottenham, Gina has lived in Thurrock for 10 years and works for Thurrock Coalition – An organisation that seeks the views of experts by experience and works co-productively towards the benefit of all disabled people.

Gina is also co-director of U-Turnships - a social enterprise that supports young people locally.

These experiences have led Gina to work collaboratively with Essex Police as a Thurrock IAG member, Thurrock BWV Chair, Essex Police Custody Suite Chair, and a National Reform Group member for PRAP, representing Essex Police.

Chris McGlade
Essex Police Detective Chief Inspector

Chris has been a police officer for over 23 years. He served his first 10 years with the Metropolitan Police Service before transferring to Essex Police in the summer of 2012. A career detective, Chris has worked in variety of investigative roles across the CID and Public Protection portfolios. Currently the Professional Standards Department Detective Chief Inspector, Chris has responsibility for leading both criminal and conduct investigations pertaining to members of Essex Police.

Chris was instrumental in the establishment of the Essex Police Professional Standards Department IAG and continues to be actively involved with the group. Outside of policing, Chris is married with two sons. A keen runner, Chris is presently training for his first ultra marathon in September 2025.

Ryan Bailey

Ryan Bailey studies at South Essex College. He is currently at the end of his second and final year of the level 3 policing extended diploma. His biggest interest is football and watches his local team Southend United whether they are home or away. He believes IAGS across the country are so important to not only the communities they serve but the police forces they advise. The reason is the transparency and direct communications both respected parties have between each other. this allows communities to work alongside the police to help better police decisions and future police community engagements.

Waheed Khan
Essex Police Chief Superintendent

A born and bred Londoner, I was the first in my family to attend university, where I graduated in LLB Law (Hons) and then completed my professional Bar exams and qualified as a Barrister-at-law.

I then joined the Civil Service, where I worked across various central government departments including the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Home Office. I held various roles, including representing the Secretary of State at courts and tribunals, as well as working in other policy and operational areas within immigration, probation, policing and Counter-Terrorism. I joined the Met Police in Nov 2014 as a Direct Entrant, where I worked within the Counter-Terrorism Command (SO15), National CT Police HQ and also within the London Boroughs of Enfield, Waltham Forest and Newham. I was also the Met-wide lead for Hate Crime across London. My last role in the Met Police was as the Acting BCU Commander for North East command.

I transferred to Essex Police on promotion in 2022 where my first posting was as the South LPA Commander, before my current role as the Head of LPSU, CiP, & Strategic lead for Partnerships, Engagement and Prevention. I am fluent in speaking Urdu, Hindi and Punjabi (and currently working on my Arabic), using these to enhance engagement with our diverse communities.

I am also an accredited Gold SFC and Gold POPS Commander.

Fiona Henderson
Assistant Chief Officer

Fiona joined Essex Police in January 2023 as Director of Continuous Improvement and Analytics. She brought with her extensive experience as a senior leader at Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies.

Fiona Henderson portrait image
While at Suffolk Constabulary, she was the Head of Corporate Improvement and Innovation. Before that, she was the Head of Analytics and Insight for both forces. Along with her academic background in Criminology, Fiona has a wealth of experience in police leadership, data analytics, performance management and organisational improvement.

Fiona is a keen advocate for mental health awareness and employee wellbeing. She believes in the importance of leading through our core values. For Fiona these are kindness, resilience, positivity, determination, and pride.

Above all, Fiona is proud to be part of the policing family. She is committed to doing what she can to ensure the force is effective, that our public are safe, and that our staff and officers feel valued and understood.

Katrina Holding

I’m a Senior Fingerprint Expert responsible for training, and I have worked in the Fingerprint Hub for 24 years. I joined the Women’s Forum Support Network (then the WLDF) as Co-Chair around 2.5 years ago, and I also take part in some of the force sports teams competing locally and nationally in swimming, lifesaving, go karting and skiing.

In my personal life, I am a single parent of two children who enjoys photography and amateur dramatics. I joined a local pantomime group when I was 14, and have been involved in one way or another on & off stage for over 30 years since then.

Sarah Shoebridge-Cave
Essex Police Sergeant

I’ve worked for Essex Police for over 16 years. I am currently a Sergeant on the Crime Triage Team. I have worked in various roles including, Local policing teams and Neighbourhood Policing teams in both the South and North of the county. I have worked as a Trainer for new police recruits at the training college, and prior to my current role I was the Sergeant on the Mental Health Street Triage Team.

Alongside my day role I am Co-Chair of the LGBTQ+ Network, I am also Adoption specialised point of contact (SPOC) for the Help Forum. I am a Trauma Risk management (TRiM) practitioner, and I am just awaiting training for the Counter terrorism Security Co-ordinator role.

I live with my wife, our two children, and our dog in the beautiful Essex countryside. We love spending our time together as a family outside, whether that’s bike riding, long walks with our dog, or visiting and exploring different parts of the UK/ World on holiday. Travel is most definitely a passion of mine.

I joined the LGBTQ+ Network and the other support networks with a genuine passion to help those that need it. Through personal experience I know how important the right help and support is. What I love about our support networks is the kind and diverse people I am lucky enough to work with, who all share the same passion to support our colleagues and the community outside of the organisation.

Simon Miah
Essex Police Sergeant

Simon has proudly served with Essex Police for 17 years, during which he has had the opportunity to work across Local Policing Teams, Community Policing, Firearms, and now within the Diversity, Equality & Inclusion (DE&I) and Positive Action Team. In his current role, he focus’s on Attraction, Recruitment, Retention, and Progression—key pillars in building a police service that truly reflects the communities Essex Police serve.

As Co-Chair of the Multi Ethnic Support Association (MESA), he leads efforts to support and uplift ethnically diverse colleagues within Essex Police. Simon's core mission has always been to champion representation and equity, and to ensure that every officer and staff member—regardless of background—feels valued, supported, and able to thrive.

In 2023, Simon was honoured to be elected on to the National Executive Committee of the National Black Police Association. This role has given him a broader platform to contribute to national conversations around race, policing, and public trust.

Throughout his career, he has worked collaboratively with the College of Policing, the NPCC, and all 43 police forces across England and Wales. He has provided strategic input on matters of racism, discrimination, victimisation, inequalities, and broader social and economic issues affecting communities.

Simon believes the NBPA is a vital force for change—not just within policing but in society at large. Their mission to support Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic officers and staff, and to hold policing to the highest standards of equity and integrity, has never been more important.

Nick Eliot
Essex Police Detective Inspector

I am currently a Detective Inspector within Essex Police.

I was diagnosed as with Dyslexia in June 2021 at the age of 44. Prior to this I had absolutely no idea.

Like most people I had a preconceived idea about what Dyslexia means, I felt embarrassed about not recognising the signs.

Shortly after I decided to join the Disability Network. Within a few weeks I was asked to lead on Neurodiversity and then last year I joined the execute committee.

I’ve been supporting other people through exams, promotion processes as well as lateral development for over 7 years now, more so those suffering from Neurodiversity’s.

I’m also really keen to help others get diagnosed and change the view of ND.

Dal Grewal

With over 25 years’ experience in recruitment and resourcing from a range of organisations including the NHS, banking, finance, consultancy, and privately owned companies, Dal joined Essex Police over 4 years ago. He currently works in the resourcing department in HR as the recruitment and resource planning partner. His role involves the posting of Officers to their new posts following promotional processes, for welfare moves and during change programmes. Doing the best for Officer welfare whilst balancing operational needs are the forefront of his decisions. Dal aims to provide a clear and transparent process when doing so. Whilst in this role he has tried to use his years of experience in business practice efficiency to try and streamline the processes in the force and devise innovative solutions to reduce time consuming administration tasks.

Outside of the organisation he was a governor for an outstanding primary school for over 7 years, a ward chair for the Metropolitan Police and he volunteers for a government supported consultative forum. Within policing he is the executive member of the National Sikh Police Association with a focus on officer welfare.

Dal grew up in Hornchurch in the London borough of Havering and moved to Chelmsford almost 3 years ago. Proud father of two children aged 13 and 11 and avid Arsenal football fan.

Ama Dixon

Ama Dixon is the College of Policing’s Diversity Equality and Inclusion Manager with over 20 years experience (8 at the College) in the field.

She previously worked for a national charity as a Senior Project Officer (Race) supporting adult learning in prisons, and prior to that managing a small charity for children and young people from Black and Minority Ethnic Backgrounds. Her current role involves having strategic oversight for national Diversity Equality and Inclusion (DEI) programmes and policy.

Ama manages a team of Senior DEI Advisers providing DEI quality assurance function for College programmes like Middle Line Leader and First Line Leader, Initial Entry, Disability and Neurodiversity, development of DEI products and guidance. Additionally the team provide advice and guidance directly to forces most notably through the delivery of Equality Impact Assessment Workshops.

Ama is also leading on the development and implementation of the National Policing Culture and Inclusion Strategy 2025-2030

Dr. Alison Heydari
Metropolitan Police Temporary Deputy Assistant Commissioner

Alison joined Hampshire Constabulary at the end of 2000. As a student officer, Alison successfully applied for the Home Office Accelerated Promotion Scheme for Graduates and was promoted to Sergeant with just over two years’ service.

Alison has a varied career which includes working as a detective in the Criminal Investigations Department and in uniform roles, including Public Protection lead, child abuse investigator, city commander and emergency response commander. Alison has managed impactive community issues and driven the force wide strategic response to hate crime and harmful practices as force lead. Alison practiced as a trained Negotiator for eight years and is also a Gold Public Order Public Safety Commander. Her interest in the response to and impact of Domestic Abuse has been realised in her influence on policy development, tactical delivery and academic research.

Alison’s policing roles have been enhanced by secondments to His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Fire and Rescue and teaching at John Jay Exchange College of Criminal Justice, New York. She has also carried out work in San Paulo, Brazil supporting victims of people trafficking.

Alison mentors extensively and is heavily involved in supporting the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda. Her passions centre on utilising the tenets of procedural justice to build legitimacy in policing, building community trust and confidence.

Alison joined the Metropolitan Police Service in June 2020 as a Frontline Policing Commander with additional pan London responsibility for a number of portfolios including neighbourhood policing. Alison is the NPCC Chief Officer lead for Out of Court Resolutions (Disposals). Her recent appointment as Director for the Police Race Action Plan sees her driving a national programme of work necessary to respond to critically low levels of trust and confidence in Black communities.

Jon McAdam
Durham Constabulary Assistant Chief Constable

Jon McAdam joined Durham Constabulary as Assistant Chief Constable in June 2024, having previously served in Surrey, Cambridgeshire, and most recently in Lincolnshire Police.

Jon is an experienced investigator, having worked in teams dealing with serious and complex investigations, intelligence development, serious and organised criminality, homicides and safeguarding, as well as being a kidnap and extortion Senior Investigating Officer.

He started his career in Surrey Police, before moving to Cambridgeshire Constabulary where he spent most of his career. He then moved to Lincolnshire Police where he remained for six years, working as head of Public Protection before becoming the force’s Local Policing Commander and lastly, Head of Crime.

As Assistant Chief Constable in Durham Jon has Executive oversight for all areas of Crime across the force as well as the People Command. Jon also has senior management responsibility for the force Serious and Major Crime activities.

Jon is the NPCC Lead for Crimestoppers and holds two national leads in the DEI committee, Age and the brand-new Staff Network’s portfolio.

Jon is married with four children. Away from work he coaches mini and junior rugby having been a keen player of the game for most of his life.

Roger Hirst
Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner

Roger Hirst was first elected as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex in May 2016.

Mr Hirst later became the first Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner in October 2017 and continues to work nationally and locally to build stronger links between emergency services and help create more secure communities.

Mr Hirst committed in his Police and Crime Plan to increase the local, visible and accessible nature of policing in Essex, crack down on anti-social behaviour and protect children and vulnerable people, as well as continuing to address domestic abuse, deal with gangs and serious violence, and improve road safety.