Police appoint new Deputy Chief (From Herald Series)

Police appoint new Deputy Chief

3:44pm Thursday 4th September 2008

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Francis Habgood has been appointed Deputy Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police.

He succeeds Alex Marshall who has been selected as the new Chief Constable of Hampshire Constabulary.

Mr Habgood, 43, joined Thames Valley Police in January 2004 on promotion to Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) Specialist Operations and recently moved to the role of ACC Local Policing.

He previously served with West Yorkshire Police, which he joined in 1987; he was heavily involved with community safety and led on West Yorkshire's response to the Macpherson report. Before he moved to Thames Valley he was the Basic Command Unit Commander in North West Leeds.

Mr Habgood has taken the lead in Thames Valley on numerous high profile operations. These include Operation Haul, which saw an organised criminal network jailed for 49 years for the burglary of country houses, theft of valuable metals and theft of ATMs containing thousands of pounds worth of cash.

He has also been the Thames Valley lead in many of the most recent high-profile terrorist incidents involving the Force.

Mr Habgood is married to Nicolette, who works for the Open University. They have two sons, Elliott and Sebastian. Following his appointment, Mr Habgood said: "I am very honoured to have been appointed Deputy Chief Constable and delighted to be carrying on serving the community of Thames Valley in my new role.

"I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead and will work hard with colleagues to ensure that we continue to make it a safer place and that we provide a quality service."

Chief Constable Sara Thornton added: "Francis has served in Thames Valley for more than four years in a number of demanding roles with an impressive record. I am delighted that the Police Authority has selected him as my Deputy and look forward to working more closely with him."

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