Police Scotland name Phil Gormley as new chief constable

Police Scotland's new Chief Constable Phil Gormley. Picture: Police Scotland

Phil Gormley, 53, will take up the £212,000-a-year post in January following the departure of Sir Stephen House this week.

Mr Gormley, deputy director general of the NCA since 2013, was given the job over deputy chief constables Neil Richardson and Iain Livingstone.

Mr Gormley, a former chief constable of Norfolk Constabulary and commander in the Metropolitan Police, said: “I believe I have the skills, the experience, and the insight required to lead the amazing workforce we have across Police Scotland.

“I have a 30-year career in policing and law enforcement, the last 13 years as a chief officer leading organisations delivering for the public in a period of profound transformation for policing.

“Police Scotland is on just such a journey and it will be my job to ensure our service strikes the right balance between local community approaches, and the many challenges we face from organised criminals, cybercrime and extremism.”

The new chief constable faces a huge job restoring public confidence in Police Scotland following a number of high-profile controversies.

Brian Docherty, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, which represents rank and file officers, said: “There is no question that Mr Gormley faces an extremely challenging and difficult job and we wish him every success in his new role.

“Mr Gormley’s entire policing career has been forged in England. In the past we have expressed concerns that policing in Scotland has had its unique identity diminished due to a lack of understanding of our own challenges and issues.”

Andrew Flanagan, chairman of the Scottish Police Authority, said: “We set out to find a leader with the vision to energise officers and staff towards innovative new approaches in the prevention of crime, and someone to reach out and build a strong connection between the single service and the local communities it serves. Those are key strengths we have identified in him and that he will bring to the wider police team.”