Martin Hewitt (police officer) explained

Martin Hewitt
Office:Border Security Commander
Term Start:15 September 2024
Appointer:Yvette Cooper
Predecessor:Office established
Office1:Chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council
Term Start1:March 2019
Term End1:March 2023
Predecessor1:Sara Thornton
Successor1:Gavin Stephens
Birth Date: 23 March 1966 df=y
Education:Salesian College, Battersea
Allegiance:United Kingdom
Serviceyears:1987–1993

Martin James Hewitt (born 23 March 1966) is a senior British law enforcement officer who has been serving as the Border Security Commander since September 2024. He is a former soldier and police officer who previously served as chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council from May 2019 to March 2023.

Early life and education

Hewitt was born on 23 March 1966 in London, England. He was educated at the Salesian College, Battersea, an all-boys Catholic grammar school in London.[1] He would later attend the University of Leicester, completing a postgraduate diploma in criminal justice studies in 2000.[2]

Hewitt's first career was in the military, serving in the British Army for seven years.[3] Having attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the Royal Artillery as a second lieutenant on 11 April 1987. He was promoted to lieutenant on 11 April 1989. He was transferred to the reserve of officers on 31 January 1993, thereby ending his active service.

Police career

After leaving the army, Hewitt joined Kent Police in 1993, and served in uniform and as a detective.[4] In 2005, he transferred to the Metropolitan Police as a detective chief superintendent. In the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was awarded the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) for his service as a deputy assistant commissioner in the Met.[5]

He was the Metropolitan Police's Assistant Commissioner (Professionalism) until April 2016, when he became Assistant Commissioner (Territorial Policing).[6] That role was renamed Assistant Commissioner Frontline Policing in 2018,[7] and he held it until the end of that year.

He had been deputy chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) since 2015. He took up his role as chair of the NPCC in April 2019, succeeding Sara Thornton,[8] and with Mark Simmons succeeding him as Assistant Commissioner Frontline Policing.[9] He has also led national-level police responses to kidnap and adult sexual offences. His first interview, in January 2020, as head of the NPCC lays out his approach.[10] During the COVID-19 pandemic, he spoke as part of the government's team for daily briefings.[11]

Hewitt was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to policing.

Border Security Commander

On 15 September 2024, Hewitt was appointed as the UK's first Border Security Commander.[12]

Honours

Ribbon Description Notes
Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) 2024
Queen's Police Medal (QPM) 2014
With "Northern Ireland" clasp
90 Days service with peacekeeping mission in Cyprus
2002; UK Version
2012; UK Version
2022; UK Version

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Hewitt, Martin James . . Oxford University Press . 20 December 2019 . en . 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U282717 . 1 December 2019. 978-0-19-954088-4 .
  2. Web site: Hewitt, Martin James, (born 23 March 1966), Chair, National Police Chiefs' Council, since 2019 . . Oxford University Press . 17 September 2022 . en . 1 December 2021.
  3. Web site: Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt, Chair of the NPCC . https://web.archive.org/web/20200929142728/https://ict.police.uk/people/assistant-commissioner-martin-hewitt-chair-of-the-npcc/ . 29 September 2020.
  4. Web site: Hewitt, Martin James, (born 23 March 1966), Chair, National Police Chiefs’ Council, 2019–23 . . Oxford University Press . 4 November 2024 . en . 1 December 2023.
  5. Web site: Police Federation - Newsroom - Twenty-eight police officers and staff recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours.
  6. Web site: Senior Management . Metropolitan Police .
  7. Web site: Executive Structure . June 2018 . Metropolitan Police . https://web.archive.org/web/20180829072117/https://www.met.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/met/about-us/executive-structure-june-2018.pdf . 29 August 2018 . dead .
  8. Web site: Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt appointed to lead National Police Chiefs' Council from April 2019. 12 November 2018.
  9. Web site: Executive Structure . January 2019 . Metropolitan Police . https://web.archive.org/web/20190329184840/https://www.met.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/foi-media/metropolitan-police/who_we_are_and_what_we_do/corporate/met-hq---media--communications---mps-organisational-chart---june-2018 . 29 March 2019 . dead .
  10. News: The police chief who believes arrests aren't the key to fighting rising crime . Lizzie . Dearden . 4 January 2020 . The Independent.
  11. News: Corbishley . Sam . UK crime down 21% due to coronavirus lockdown . 11 April 2020 . Metro . 11 April 2020 . en.
  12. Web site: New Border Security Commander appointed as Prime Minister's European reset continues in Italy . 2024-09-16 . GOV.UK . en.