Julie Etchingham
Julie Etchingham is a newsreader, presenter and broadcast journalist with over three decades of experience working across the BBC, Sky News and ITV. She has chaired general election leaders’ debates, presented and reported on US Presidential elections, and co-presented coverage of major royal weddings, Jubilees and funerals. Julie has also led live coverage of developing news stories including the 7/7 bombings in London and the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. Julie has hosted awards ceremonies and moderated international conferences, including one at the Vatican with Pope Francis.
Chief Constable Gavin Stephens QPM
Gavin was elected to the Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) in 2022 and took up the role in April 2023, having served in Surrey Police from Constable to Chief Constable.
As Chair of NPCC Gavin is responsible for ensuring strong co-ordination and collaboration across UK Policing, including British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. Policing practices across the UK are held together by strong principles and values, which are rooted in policing by consent. Working together with the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, the College of Policing, His Majesty’s Inspectorate, the National Crime Agency, and many other public and voluntary bodies, Gavin ensures NPCC contributes to a shared vision of achieving the must trusted and engaged policing service in the world, by making communities safer and stronger.
Gavin is the Senior Responsible Officer for the national Police Race Action Plan. He is a Director of BlueLight Commercial and Police Digital Services. He chairs the Boards of the Criminal Records Office, and Police Crime Prevention Initiatives. He is a trustee of the charity Police Care UK, and chairs the Board of Trustees for Police Arboretum Memorial Trust. He is a patron of the Police Mutual Assurance Society.
In his former role as Chief Constable of Surrey, Gavin was chair of the NPCC Finance Coordination Committee and NPCC Communications Advisory Group. Prior to that he was NPCC lead for Neighbourhood Policing and chaired the committee to produce the College of Policing Guidelines on Modernising Neighbourhood Policing.
Born and bred in Hartlepool on the North East coast, Gavin studied engineering and management studies at the University of Cambridge and worked for GEC Marconi Research as a sponsored student. Upon graduation he joined Cambridgeshire Constabulary, then transferred to Surrey Police in 1996. He worked across a wide variety of roles including Head of Serious & Organised Crime, Professional Standards, and often returned to his passion of Neighbourhood Policing.
Session 1: Chairs introduction
APCC Chair Emily Spurrell
PCC Emily Spurrell was elected as Chair of the APCC in September 2024.
Emily is in her second term as Police and Crime Commissioner for Merseyside, having been first elected in May 2021 and re-elected in May 2024.
Prior to becoming PCC for Merseyside, Emily was Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner and served as a Liverpool City Councillor leading on Community Safety.
Session 1: Chairs introduction
Roger Hirst
Roger Hirst was first elected as the Police and Crime Commissioner for Essex in May 2016, and in May 2024, he was elected for a third term in Office. He became the first Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner in the country in October 2017. Roger’s core belief is that safe and secure communities are the bedrock on which prosperity is built for all, and this remains central to his vision for making Essex safer. A strong advocate of prevention, partnership and people, Roger has worked hard to build a foundation of collaborative working between emergency services, local authorities, councils, the voluntary sector and communities in Essex, believing we can do more and achieve more together.
A long-standing member of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioner’s Board and Finance Lead for Police and Crime Commissioner’s nationally, Roger led the successful campaign to secure funding for an additional 20,000 police officers across the country and achieved the target of recruiting an additional 905 Essex Police officers in March 2023, making the force the biggest in its 185-year history. Roger’s ambition is to continue to cut crime through continuing investment in local visible policing, using data driven activity to target known hotspots and providing early intervention to identify and protect vulnerable people.
Prior to his election as Commissioner, Roger was Cabinet Member at Essex County Council with responsibility for Transformation and then for communities; Deputy Leader of Brentwood Borough Council; and has 33 years’ experience as a senior investment banker in the City of London. In his limited spare time, Roger is a Trustee for several Charities.
Session 2: Policing landscape 2025
Sir Andy Marsh QPM
Chief Constable Sir Andy Marsh QPM has been CEO of the College of Policing since 2021 and is the longest serving Chief Constable in England and Wales. As a system leader, Andy has been responsible for introducing a number of changes into policing, including a revised Code of Ethics, a fourth entry route and has worked alongside the NPCC to establish a new National Centre for VAWG and Public Protection.
He was honoured to receive a knighthood for services to policing at the end of 2024.
Session 2: Plenary session: Policing landscape 2025
AC Louisa Rolfe OBE
Assistant Commissioner Louisa Rolfe's career in policing started in Avon and Somerset Police, where she rose from being a neighbourhood PC to becoming one of the country’s most senior female officers.
During her 25 year career with Avon and Somerset Police, she led on development of a Regional Organised Crime Unit and Counter Terrorism Intelligence Unit in the South West, a bi-force Major Crime Investigation Team, and a tri-force response to roads policing, firearms and dogs alongside Wiltshire and Gloucestershire Police forces.
She is passionate about diversity and equality issues and, as Head of CID in Avon and Somerset, helped increase representation of women officers in top crime fighting posts. In the West Midlands she actively sponsored the development of a more diverse workforce.
AC Rolfe joined West Midlands Police as Deputy Chief Constable in February 2016. Her role with the force was to lead operational business and oversee the force’s WMP2020 innovation and change programme. WMP2020 featured 33 individual projects designed to make the force more agile when fighting crime and more accessible to the public.
In June 2020 she joined the Metropolitan Police Service as Assistant Commissioner Met Operations with responsibility for major events including large scale protests, Notting Hill Carnival, HM The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and state funeral. In October 2022 she moved to AC Frontline Policing with responsibility for Boroughs and Specialist Crime. She was instrumental in development of the New Met for London plan, led on the MPS’s response to Violence against Women and Girls and worked with colleagues to deliver improvements in the response to child exploitation, neighbourhood policing and volume crime investigations, enabling the Met to effectively address HMICFRS recommendations.
In November 2024 she took on her current role to lead for policing on the Government’s plans for reform. Within a joint team with the Home Office she is working to ensure reform achieves our collective ambition across the policing system.
AC Rolfe has been the National Police Chief’s Council lead for Domestic Abuse since 2013. She led the UK police response to HMIC’s report Everyone’s Business – focused on improving the response to domestic abuse – urging forces to prioritise domestic abuse and securing substantial improvements across the service. Her work in this area was recognised in the 2019 New Year’s Honours being awarded an OBE. Louisa Rolfe is the NPCC Lead for National Crime Coordination Committee.
Session 2: Plenary session: Policing landscape 2025
The Rt Hon Yvette Cooper MP
Yvette Cooper was appointed Secretary of State for the Home Department on 5 July 2024. She was elected as the MP for Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley in July 2024.
Session 3: Keynote Address
Jonathon Ellison
Jonathon is Director for National Resilience at the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC). Jonathon sits on NCSC’s board, and leads NCSC’s efforts to increase cyber resilience across the UK - within government, critical national infrastructure, and across businesses and organisations of all sizes.
Jonathon has held multiple senior leadership roles at the intersection between technology and national security.
Jonathon holds a degree in Computer Science from Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford. He was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours 2022.
Session 4: Plenary session: Shocks and risks
Alison Hernandez
Alison Hernandez was first elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in May 2016, effectively to hold the Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police to account for the performance of the force on behalf of the communities we all serve.
She is responsible for setting the strategic direction and priorities for Devon and Cornwall Police via the police and crime plan. This includes setting the police budget (£315 million) and local police precept (the amount residents pay for policing in their council tax). Overseeing the largest investment in policing in a decade.
Since Alison took office Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly became the second lowest crime rate area in England and Wales but complacency has not set in.
The force has achieved global recognition via a World Class Policing Award for work with Operation Encompass to better help children affected by domestic abuse and helps evidence her ambition of getting the best out of the police. She has also received recognition from the City of Exeter with an award from His Worshipful the Lord Mayor for her personal efforts to help people suffering with domestic abuse.
Alison is responsible for the police estate and last year built one of the top 10% most sustainable buildings in the UK in the form of Exeter Police Station.
She also has a statutory duty to commission support services for victims of crime and to deliver community safety initiatives, including Restorative Justice. This service received a Howard League for Penal Reform award this year.
She is the Chairman of the Local Criminal Justice Board, holds the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners national portfolios for roads policing/safety and digital public contact. Alison is a strong believer in encouraging more women in public life and is the South West Deputy Chairman for the Conservative Women’s Organisation.
She is a graduate of Kingston University and Plymouth Business School and has worked across the UK, Singapore and Australia running her own management consultancy business.
Alison has a teenage daughter and she lives in Torquay, Devon where she was born and raised.
Session 4: Plenary session: Shocks and risks
Professor Paul Taylor
Professor Paul Taylor became the first Police Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) on 1 May 2021, with a remit to connect science and technology expertise both in the UK and globally to keep policing at the forefront of best practice. The role of the Police CSA is to guide critical strategies, policies and decisions, helping police to protect millions of people.
Paul is a Professor of Psychology at Lancaster University, Professor of Human Interaction at the University of Twente, and founding director of the UK Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (CREST). Established in 2015, CREST has brought together over 140 researchers from 35 universities and SMEs to deliver research that informs policy and practice in security and policing.
Over his career Professor Taylor has contributed science advice to a number of high-profile police investigations in the UK and overseas. In 2005 he received a Metropolitan Police Service Commissioner Commendation for his contributions.
Session 5: AI and tech what works?
Sir Andy Cooke QPM DL
Andy Cooke joined Merseyside Police in 1985 having obtained an Honours Degree in Politics from Nottingham University. He served as a detective at every rank.
Throughout his career, Andy has had numerous roles including being in charge of the Robbery Squad and Target Operations at the Major Crime Unit. He became the first Commander of the nationally recognised ‘Matrix’ team, responsible for tackling gun and gang enabled crime.
During his time as Area Commander for South Liverpool, Andy was instrumental in significantly reducing crime, antisocial behaviour and disorder and South Liverpool became one of the highest performing Basic Command Units in the country.
In 2008, Andy was appointed Assistant Chief Constable of Lancashire Constabulary where he held the roles of ACC Specialist Operations and ACC Territorial Operations. He returned to Merseyside in 2012, was promoted to Deputy Chief Constable in 2013 and in 2016 he was appointed Chief Constable. During this time, Andy led the biggest reorganisation in Merseyside Police’s 40 year history. While he was Chief, the force was graded as the highest performing metropolitan force by HMICFRS.
Nationally, Andy held some of the highest risk portfolios in policing. In addition to leading the creation of the United Kingdom Protected Persons Service, he was the national policing lead for serious organised crime and national lead for crime.
Andy has also been commended on ten occasions and in 2014 was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal. He is a Deputy Lieutenant of the Merseyside Lieutenancy and an Adjunct Professor within the School of Justice Studies at Liverpool John Moores University.
He is married with twin daughters.
Andy was appointed as HM Inspector of Constabulary and HM Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services in April 2021 where he was the HMI for Northern England and the SRO for the PEEL inspection programme.
On 1 April 2022 Andy was appointed as HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary and HM Chief Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services. In December 2024 he was awarded a knighthood for services to policing and to public service in the King’s New Years Honours List.
Session 5: Measuring Up
The Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP
The Rt Hon Dame Diana Johnson DBE was appointed Minister of State in the Home Office on 8 July 2024.
She was elected as the MP for Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham at the general election in July 2024 and has represented Hull North, as Hull’s first female MP, since May 2005.
Diana was Chair of the Home Affairs Select Committee from 2021 until 2024.
Under the Labour government between 2005 and 2010 Diana was a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department of Children, Schools and Families and a government whip.
Between 2010 and 2015 Diana held a number of front bench roles including in the shadow Home Office team.
She was named backbencher of the year in 2018 for her work to secure a public inquiry into the NHS contaminated blood scandal.
Diana was appointed as a Commissioner on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in 2019.
In 2020 Diana received a Damehood for her political and charitable work.
Session 5: Measuring Up
Chris Nelson, Police and Crime Commissioner for Gloucestershire
Chris Nelson was first elected as Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) in May 2021, then again in 2024.
After growing up in Leeds, state educated, Chris joined the Army at 18, attending Sandhurst. He retired as a full Colonel, having served operationally in the First Gulf War and on the streets of Northern Ireland. His senior staff roles embraced tri-service programme and resource management, operational equipment requirements, budgets, work force planning, IT, training, recruitment, and estates. He gained two degrees and multiple academic and professional qualifications during his time in the Army.
Following his military service, he had a career in business, helping to provide state of the art training facilities to police forces around the world, finishing off that second career as Vice President International Business Development for a US company in Atlanta, Georgia.
His third career as a politician includes time as a Borough councillor in Cheltenham, Member of the County Police and Crime Panel and Chairman of a very busy parish council. A passionate believer in the virtues of volunteering and public service, he is privileged to have supported his local community whenever an opportunity has presented itself.
As PCC for Gloucestershire, Chris has been a strong advocate of high professional standards; introduced a zero-tolerance approach to Anti-Social Behaviour; secured funding for significant numbers of extra police officers/staff; helped the Constabulary gain Outstanding status for recording reported crime; tackled male violence against women and girls; reduced the cost of rural crime; mitigated scam calls; and improved the Constabulary’s 999 and 101 service, so that it is now one of the best in the country.
Working with his fellow Commissioners in the South West, he is Chair of the Prisoners Building Homes Programme, an innovative scheme that reduces reoffending and provides much needed affordable homes.
Building on his experience helping the Constabulary to exit ‘Special Measures’ (something he inherited at the start of his first term of office), he has now become Joint National Lead for Performance within the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners. He is also Joint National Lead for Local Policing, in line with his focus on Neighbourhood Policing and tackling Anti-Social Behaviour.
Session 5: Measuring Up
AC Matt Twist (Performance management Committee)
Matt joined the Met in 1996 as a Police Constable assigned to Kensington and Chelsea. He has spent the vast majority of his service in operational roles including Emergency response, Special Branch, Aviation Security and the Specialist Firearms Command.
Matt served in Surrey Police for three years as a Chief Superintendent between 2013 and 2016 in roles including Head of Investigations, Divisional Commander and Temporary Assistant Chief Constable. Matt returned to the Met in May 2016 as Commander for Firearms and Taskforce and led the 2016 armed uplift and the first deployment of Op Temperer (military support to police) in 2017. As NPCC lead for Self Defence, Arrest and Restraint he has delivered nationally both use of force recording, and the standardisation and improvement of all police personal safety training.
Matt was promoted to Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC) and has held responsibility for Transformation as SRO for programmes including Command & Control, Smarter Working and Central Estates (a 6‐year programme moving 7000 people, redeveloping 27 sites and creating a CT Operations Centre in West London). He led a team implementing the recommendations of Sir Richard Henriques’ Independent Review of the Metropolitan Police Service handling of non‐recent sexual offence investigations alleged against persons of public prominence.
As DAC Matt was the MPS Gold Commander for the overall response to the Covid pandemic, working as a core member of London’s outbreak control group as well as national police groups working through nearly 200 changes in laws and regulations, and the impact on the public of London and a workforce of nearly forty thousand. As DAC Specialist Operations and Deputy to Head of CT Policing, he was the national lead for CT Protect and Prepare. Within London he was responsible for Royalty and Specialist Protection, Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection, Aviation Security and wider CT security operations. Matt led CT Policing’s response to the Manchester Arena Inquiry, giving evidence at the inquiry and led for CT in the implementation of the Protect Duty.
October 2022 Matt was promoted to Assistant Commissioner Met Operations and Performance, leading transformation within the Mets performance functions. He oversaw the response to major public order and protest issues from 2022 and the end of 2024 as well as major events including The Coronation and Notting Hill Carnival. He was responsible for the Mets firearms operations and resilience, working closely with Government and national bodies to deliver the Police Accountability Review,
In November 2025 Matt moved to lead Frontline Policing, with a brief to improve local crime performance. His business group is made up of over 20,000 officers and staff responsible for local policing, public protection and Specialist Crime within London. In addition, Matt has corporate responsibility for the Command & Control change programme, and Operation Northleigh ‐ the police investigation into the Grenfell Tower disaster. Matt has recently been elected as the Chair of the NPCC Performance Management Coordinating Committee and was awarded the Kings Police Medal in the 2025 New Years Honours list.
Session 5: Measuring Up
Rachel Watson (Independent Office for Police Conduct)
Rachel was appointed Director General of the IOPC by the Crown in April 2024.
Her job is to lead the IOPC in our mission to improve policing through independent oversight of the police complaints system.
Rachel has significant public service experience having worked in the heart of government for more than 20 years. This includes a decade working at the Home Office, where she was Policing Director for five years before joining the IOPC, giving her extensive knowledge of policing and policing stakeholders. Rachel has worked in a range of Government departments before joining the Home Office, including HM Treasury, HM Revenue & Customs and the Department for Energy & Climate Change.
She has undertaken a variety of different roles including media relations in HM Treasury, leading organisational change in the former Identity and Passport Service and undertaking culture transformation.
Session 5: Measuring Up
Assistant Chief Constable Tom Harding
Tom joined the College of Policing in July 2023 from Gwent Police, bringing extensive operational experience gained across uniform and detective roles, including as a Strategic Firearms Commander and Gold Public Order Commander.
Tom began his policing journey as a special constable with Leicestershire Police whilst studying law at Leicester University. After qualifying as a solicitor in 2006 and working for one of Europe's largest law firms, he chose to join West Mercia Police as an officer in 2008.
During his career, Tom has proudly led the development of nationally recognised work to tackle child criminal exploitation and the award-winning acquisitive crime strategy "We Don't Buy Crime". He is a great advocate of evidence-based policing and is hugely passionate about developing and sharing best practice across the service.
In his role at the College, Tom's team sets operational standards that build public trust and confidence. Recent achievements include improvements to the Code of Ethics, vetting processes, public order guidance, firearms licencing, and establishing Op Soteria – a joint unit with the NPCC and Home Office to enhance the policing response to rape and sexual offences.
Tom is a champion of problem-solving approaches and supporting leaders to deliver trusted and effective, community-focussed policing that keeps people safe.
Session 5: In the Neighbourhood
T/Deputy Chief Constable Catherine Akehurst
Catherine is currently a member of the Hertfordshire Constabulary Chief Officer Team, seconded to the National Police Chiefs’ Council as temporary Deputy Chief Constable and Programme Lead for the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee. She started her policing career in Greater Manchester Police in 2003, transferring to Hertfordshire in 2005 where she has served at all ranks from PC to T/DCC. Catherine moved to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary in March 2022 where she was ACC for the Joint Operations Unit and Contact Management before returning to Hertfordshire Constabulary in April 2023. From July 2023 to early 2025, Catherine held the role of NPCC lead for the Contact Management portfolio. Prior to becoming a police officer, she spent seven years as a senior manager for a large retail company.
Session 5: In the Neighbourhood
PCC Matt Storey
Matt Storey was elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland in May 2024, and is the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners’ (APCC) joint lead for community policing.
Matt has spent his entire career in the public sector. He has worked in the Office of Dari Taylor, Member of Parliament for Stockton South, and as Parliamentary Office Manager to Andy McDonald MP since 2012. Matt has also worked an officer at Middlesbrough Borough Council.
Matt has been a Councillor for Middlesbrough since 2016. He represented the Central Ward. He was also Labour Group Leader from 2019 to 2023 and Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Board until May 2024.
Session 5: In the Neighbourhood
Rt Hon Chris Philp MP
Chris Philp was Minister of State in the Home Office between 26 October 2022 and 5 July 2024.
He was Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office between 14 October 2022 and 25 October 2022.
He was previously appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 6 September 2022 to 14 October 2022.
He was previously Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport between 17 September 2021 and 7 July 2022.
He was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Home Office and Ministry of Justice from 13 February 2020 to 16 September 2021.
Before that, he was Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Justice from 10 September 2019 to 18 December 2019 and Minister for London at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government from 18 December 2019 to 13 February 2020.
Session 10: Keynote Address
Alison Lowe OBE
Alison Lowe OBE is the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime (DMPC) in West Yorkshire.
Ms Lowe was West Yorkshire’s DMPC from 2021-2024, working with the Mayor, Tracy Brabin. On 4 May 2024, Tracy Brabin was re-elected as Mayor of West Yorkshire and selected Alison Lowe as their preferred candidate for Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime. The appointment was confirmed on 14 June 2024.
Alongside her role as DMPC, Ms Lowe has also worked with voluntary organisations for nearly 30 years and represented Armley on Leeds City Council from 1990 to 2019, as well as serving as Chair of the West Yorkshire Police and Crime Panel for five years.
Alison was formerly Chief Executive at Touchstone, a mental health and wellbeing charity based in West and South Yorkshire, she specialised in working with diverse communities.
In the New Year’s Honours 2022, she was awarded an Officer of the British Empire (OBE) for services to mental health and wellbeing during COVID-19
Session 12: Free to speak?
Professor Andrew Tettenborn
Andrew Tettenborn is a writer and law academic. A member of the Legal Advisory Committee of the Free Speech Union, he has drafted submissions to governmental bodies on the organisation's behalf. He has also written for, among others, The Spectator, The Critic, the Daily Mail and Spiked Online.
Session 12: Free to speak?
Matthew Scott
Matthew has been Kent’s PCC since 2016. He is currently co-Lead for the APCC on Workforce and was previously Chair of BlueLight Commercial. His work as PCC has been focussed on citizen engagement, data analysis and effective solutions to local problems. Operation Voice is his third big data exercise, having previously undertaken in depth work on violence against women and girls and violent crime, which have led to new strategies and support for victims of crime. He has also worked in partnership with external agencies on mental health demand, road safety and serious violence. He is currently working on Smartphone Free Schools and the impact of social media on young people.
Session 12: Performing under Pressure
Dr Sarah Charman
Dr Sarah Charman is Professor of Criminology and Director of the Policing Academic Centre of Excellence at the University of Portsmouth, Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice and Senior Associate Fellow at the Police Foundation. She has researched and published widely on the sociology of policing and the policing organisation, most notably on policing cultures, police leadership, police recruits and police retention. Sarah has advised and worked with a number of government bodies and local and national policing organisations and is a regular contributor to both the national UK press and policing practitioner publications.
Session 12: Performing under Pressure
Andy Rhodes OBE QPM
Andy Rhodes OBE QPM served 30 years as a police officer and is the former Chief Constable of Lancashire Police a force of over 6000 staff. Up until retirement in 2021 he was chair of CPOSA the Chief Police Officers Staff Association, Chair of the Board of Trustees of the North West Police Benevolent Fund and National Police Chiefs Council lead for wellbeing and organisational development.
In 2015 he established the first National Police Well Being Service - Oscar Kilo which he continues to support part time as Service Director. He was awarded the Queens Police Medal in 2017 and an OBE in the 2022 birthday honours for services to emergency service workers mental health.
Andy has in depth experience, and lifelong commitment to, staff engagement and is a recognised expert in the field of survey methodology, delivery and insights. Some examples of his track record in this area are :-
- Helping to construct the Home Office ONS Frontline Review survey in 2018
- Establishing a national wellbeing survey for all 43 forces in England & Wales and using the insights to drive national / local priorities
- Numerous research studies requiring his advice and guidance on qualitative survey question sets covering issues such as trauma exposure, sleep and wearable technology
Andy has been instrumental in the development of the Police Covenant for England &Wales. He is an influential member of the National Forum for Health & Well Being which advises organisations and Government on workforce health issues and is a volunteer member of INVICTM the International Network Supporting Victims of Terrorism & Mass Casualties.
He currently chairs the Royal Foundation Blue Light Together delivery group and the Police Covenant Delivery Group. He led the COVID19 ‘workforce protection’ Gold group on behalf of the National Police Chiefs Council throughout the pandemic.
Andy’s specific expertise lies in the area of workplace health and leadership strategy, Staff engagement surveying, emergency responder mental health & wellbeing and technology & data innovation
Session 12: Performing under Pressure
Superintendent Nick Smart
Superintendent Nick Smart was elected as president of the Police Superintendents' Association (PSA) in July 2024. Nick was promoted to the rank of superintendent in 2018, and has carried out a variety of operational roles in force, and in corporate projects. He has been a tactical firearms commander and is a silver public order commander.
Nick was formerly the A district chair for the PSA and was chair of West Yorkshire Police Federation branch for four years, during which time he spearheaded the ‘protect the protectors’ campaign and led work around legislation on assaults on emergency services workers.
Nick also served as Acting President of the association from October 2023.
Session 12: Performing under Pressure
Julia Margo
Julia Margo is Director of Fair Hearing, a new charity seeking to support victims of domestic abuse and change law and policy on this vital issue. She is supported in her mission by a number of leading Trusts and foundations including Henry Smith, Esme Fairborn and Sebba and is currently leading a sector wide project to identify a strategy for philanthropy to enable change in the family courts to better serve victims.
She is herself a survivor of domestic abuse and went through 10 years of litigation and 37 hearings to protect her children from her ex partner who was convicted of serious CSA. Her story was shown on Dispatches Torn Apart and in the Sunday Times.
Since her own court experience she has mentored more than 100 DA survivors, through leaving an abusive dynamic and seeking justice and protection from the criminal and family courts.
To date she has trained almost 300 senior criminal and family court Judges on DA and is due to deliver a pilot programme of training to a police force later this year. She has done extensive media on DA including the Observer, New Statesman, Spectator and Telegraph.
Prior to setting up Fair Hearing, Julia spent 15 years in think tanks as Acting CEO of Demos and Director of Research at IPPR. She was also a Charity CEO, running family charities and prior to this spent five years as commissioning editor at the Sunday Times.
Session 9: Victims Voice
DCC Wendy Gunney
In January 2025, Wendy was appointed as the Deputy Chief Constable, NPCC Lead for Serious Organised Crime (SOC). A challenging and complex portfolio that supports UK Policing in delivering against SOC.
Wendy Gunney was appointed to Assistance Chief Constable in January 2023, she was responsible for the All Wales Collaboration, Counter Terrorism Policing Wales and the Regional Organised Crime Unit, TARIAN.
Wendy started her police career in Thames Valley Police in 1997 when she was posted to Milton Keynes. In 2001, Wendy transferred to South Wales Police and spent several years in different roles within Cardiff. In the early years of policing, Wendy took the opportunity to become an air observer on the police helicopter – this was a career highlight for Wendy.
Wendy qualified and achieved promotion to the ranks of Sergeant and Inspector whilst raising three children, a balance with family life is very important to her.
In 2011, Wendy joined a leadership team responsible for merging seven contact centres into one. At that time, this was one of the biggest change programmes completed by South Wales Police.
Wendy has spent several years within intelligence, investigations, covert policing and serious organised crime, on a force and regional level. In November 2015, Wendy was promoted to DCI within TARIAN, the Regional Organised Crime network and upon promotion to Detective Superintendent in September 2017, Wendy remained within the field of Covert Policing and investigations. She qualified as an Authorising Officer and Senior Investigating Officer for Kidnap & Extortion.
Wendy moved into an operational command role in Cardiff in February 2019 whilst taking the force lead for Knife Crime / Serious Violence, delivering a force wide response. Wendy is an accredited and experienced Strategic Firearms Commander, she is also a Gold Public Order Commander.
In February 2020, she was appointed as Chief Superintendent, Commander for Cardiff and Vale Division, a challenging and demanding command. As a Cardiff resident, she had a personal connection and a passion for leading the Capital City of Wales. She led the team through the Covid Global Pandemic and many large scale organisational changes.
Session 12: After Encrochat
PFCC David Allen
David Allen was elected for Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Cumbria in May 2024. David began his career as a Police Constable in 1986 in Carlisle. He worked in all areas of the county as a Police Officer from Workington to Barrow-in-Furness.
After his career with Cumbria Constabulary, David worked for the National Crime Agency tackling foreign national offenders, child online exploitation, drugs and people trafficking at a national level. Within the NCA, he ran the UKs Interpol and Europol Bureaus tackling serious organised crime and keeping the country’s borders safe and secure.
Following on from a 30-year career in policing and law enforcement, David worked in the NHS assisting with setting up Cumbria’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and managed the vaccine programme across North and West Cumbria.
David’s key priorities as Commissioner in Cumbria include: tackling anti-social behaviour through prevention with young people; working with partners to fight rural crime; properly funding the Fire and Rescue Service including providing them with the resources to tackle flooding in the county; tackling domestic abuse and sexual violence.
Session 12: After Encrochat
Graeme Biggar CBE
Graeme Biggar has led the National Crime Agency (NCA) since October 2021. The NCA is an intelligence-led law enforcement agency whose mission is to protect the public from serious and organised crime. It does that by leading the operational system response to ensure that police and law enforcement agencies are working together on the most significant threats, and by itself investigating and degrading the most harmful organised crime groups. The NCA also leads for UK policing on operational cooperation internationally.
Graeme initially joined the NCA in March 2019 as the Director General of the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC), which is a collaborative, multi-agency centre established to deliver a step change in the response to fraud and money laundering.
Prior to the NCA, Graeme was the Director of National Security in the Home Office, Chief of Staff to the Defence Secretary in the Ministry of Defence and held a range of other senior Civil Service roles.
Graeme has a degree in History from Oxford University and a masters in International Security Studies from the Royal College of Defence Studies and Kings College London. He was awarded a CBE in 2019 in recognition of his services to national security.
Session 12: After Encrochat
Cathy Haenlein
Cathy Haenlein is Director of Organised Crime and Policing Studies at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). Her expertise lies in serious and organised crime, illicit trade, transnational environmental crime and security. As a recognised subject-matter expert, she has authored over 65 publications and has presented insights at influential international fora including the G7, UN and OECD. She has a track record of shaping global policy through high-impact research. Her commentary and expertise have been featured by leading media outlets such as The Economist, The Guardian and the BBC. Cathy is experienced in designing complex research programmes on crime and insecurity internationally, with a focus on East and Southern Africa. She is the editor of ‘Poaching, Wildlife Trafficking and Security in Africa: Myths and Realities’ (Taylor and Francis, 2016). Cathy is also the Chair of RUSI’s Strategic Hub for Organised Crime Research, and recently served as Team Leader of the Critical Maritime Routes Monitoring, Support and Evaluation Mechanism (CRIMSON), working to strengthen trans-regional coordination across EU maritime security programming.
Session 12: After Encrochat
PCC Clare Moody
Clare was elected as Labour’s Police and Crime Commissioner for Avon and Somerset in May 2024, and brings a wealth of experience to the role. Clare has a background spanning a variety of sectors, including serving as a Member of the European Parliament, working at the heart of government in No.10 Downing Street, and as a Trade Union officer for over twenty years. Prior to being elected to the PCC role, Clare was co-Chief Exec of Equally Ours, a UK equality and human rights charity. Clare is committed to bringing more voices to the Criminal Justice System, ensuring a more diverse representation.
Session 13: Beyond Prevent