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After 36 years in policing, Chief Constable Ben Julian ‘BJ’ Harrington has announced he will retire from Essex Police later this year.
Starting his career in the Met, CC Harrington moved to Essex Police in 2017 on secondment as Deputy Chief Constable, becoming Chief Constable in 2018. He described the last eight years, he said “force has been my life and my family,” adding that being Chief Constable is an honour and privilege.
“In the last eight years we have achieved so much: preventing, reducing crime and solving more crime; helping victims; using technology and innovation; relentlessly pursuing the bad guys and locking them up; growing and reshaping our force to ensure we are fit for the challenges of now and the future; and, the single most important part of our oath, protecting and serving the people of Essex.”
Setting out the improvements in the force over the last 12 months, CC Harrington said that there had been 1,300 less offences and a 15% increase in resolving crimes. He commented: “Thanks to the hard work of our specialist detectives we are solving more rapes, sexual offences, domestic offences, burglaries, vehicle theft, and shoplifting offences.”
Nationally, CC Harrington is the chair of the NPCC Operations Committee and formally the national lead for Public Order and Public Safety policing and coordinating the national response to the disorder in the summer of 2024.
Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex, Roger Hirst thanked CC Harrington for his leadership and commitment to policing for more than three decades, adding: “He leaves Essex Police in a strong position for the future.”
A process to replace CC Harrington will be announced by PFCC Roger Hirst in due course.
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