New chair appointed to the College of Policing

Update – In January 2024, Lord Herbert was re-appointed to the role until December 2026.

Nick Herbert (Lord Herbert of South Downs) has been announced as the new chair of the College of Policing.

Lord Herbert will lead the College’s board, which has representatives from across policing.

The Home Secretary, Priti Patel, on announcing the appointment of Nick Herbert – who previously served as Minister of State for Policing and Criminal Justice – said: 'I welcome Nick as the new chair of the College of Policing – he will bring with him a wealth of experience and knowledge of policing and the criminal justice system.

'The College of Policing plays a vital role in delivering the training that makes our police force the best in the world, and is playing a crucial role in the recruitment of 20,000 additional police officers.

'I would like to extend my thanks to Christine for her part in leading the College through the challenging demands on policing in 2020.'

Lord Herbert said:

I am delighted to have been appointed to chair the College and very much look forward to working with the police service again.

I drove the formation of the College nearly a decade ago because l believe it has a vital role to play in promoting leadership, setting standards and supporting the drive to reduce crime.

I think it's timely to begin with a fundamental review of the College, its effectiveness and place in the policing landscape. I want to ensure that the College fulfils its mission and is highly valued by every section of policing, from officers on the frontline to Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners.

This is a demanding time for policing but also an exciting one as we recruit 20,000 new officers. With new forms of crime and the advance of technology, it has never been more important to ensure that we have a well led, highly trained and skilled service.

A priority will be to recruit a new chief executive, and I would like to thank Mike Cunningham for everything he has done to build the College and lead it through the challenging period of COVID-19.

Deputy Chief Constable Bernie O’Reilly, the College of Policing's interim CEO, said: 'I’m really pleased to welcome Nick to the role. He brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the College, which will greatly benefit policing. We have an ambitious agenda aimed at supporting policing and I look forward to working closely with Nick to develop this further.'

The College of Policing is a professional body for everyone working across policing. It is an operationally independent arm's-length body of the Home Office.

What we do

• We connect everyone working in the police and law enforcement to understand their challenges. 
• We use evidence-based knowledge in everything we develop.
• We help police officers and staff; researchers, academics and learning providers; the international policing community; and the public.
• We give a voice to professional policing on standards, skills and capabilities.