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West Yorkshire Police has appointed Osman Khan KPM as its new Deputy Chief Constable (DCC), following a national selection and interview process.
Khan, who previously served as Assistant Chief Constable with responsibility for People and Standards, succeeds Catherine Hankinson QPM, who retired after a 30-year career in policing.
Chief Constable John Robins QPM DL said the appointment recognised Khan’s long service and deep knowledge of the communities he will continue to serve. “Osman has served the public of West Yorkshire for more than 25 years in a variety of roles across the county. He has a thorough understanding of the needs of our communities and understands the pressures on police officers and staff. His appointment also provides continuity and stability in our continued improvement of policing across West Yorkshire,” he said.
Paying tribute to Hankinson, Robins added: “Catherine has been an outstanding leader, providing drive and commitment to our recent force improvements. She will be hugely missed by all who worked with her. I wish her the very best in her well-earned retirement.”
Khan said he was “extremely proud” to take up the role, pledging to support frontline officers and staff while working closely with partners and communities “to ensure we deliver the best policing service we can to the people of West Yorkshire.”
Khan began his policing career in 2000 as a constable in Eccleshill, later serving in Bradford, Leeds, Kirklees and across specialist departments. He rose through the ranks in both detective and command roles, including District Commander for Bradford and Head of Professional Standards. Promoted to Assistant Chief Constable in 2020, he held portfolios spanning specialist and regional crime, safeguarding and local policing.
A Specialist Strategic Firearms Commander, Gold Public Order Commander and Multi-Agency Incident Commander, Khan is also a trained assessor, coach and mentor, and says developing colleagues across the force gives him “the greatest joy” in his career.
In the 2025 New Year Honours, he was awarded the King’s Police Medal, which he described as an honour of which he is both “proud and humbled.”
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