Chief Constable Richard Lewis and PCC Barry Coppinger.
Richard Lewis has been confirmed as the new Chief Constable of Cleveland Police. Richard is currently the temporary Deputy Chief Constable at Dyfed Powys Police, where he has served for the entirety of his policing career so far.
Mr Lewis was selected following a rigorous two-day recruitment and assessment process, developed in partnership with the College of Policing – the national centre of excellence for police leadership and recruitment. The college’s Chief Executive Mike Cunningham was a member of the final appointment panel.
PCC Barry Coppinger said, “I’m delighted that the panel have confirmed my preferred candidate Richard Lewis as the next Chief Constable of Cleveland Police. I congratulate him on securing the role after what was a very rigorous and demanding recruitment process – I was pleased to learn, after the main interview panel had reached a view, that he was also the first choice of our internal staff panel and the wide range of partner organisations who took part in the selection process.
“From the outset Richard displayed a deep understanding of the challenges facing Cleveland Police and impressed every panel he met with his clear vision of organisational development and strategic direction for the force. He has previous experience in upholding high levels of professional standards and has demonstrated a clear commitment to diversity and inclusion.
“I believe Richard will provide the long-term inspirational leadership needed to drive the Force forward on its journey of organisational and cultural transformation and I look forward to working closely with him over at least the next five years in building Cleveland Police’s bright future.”
Chief Constable Richard Lewis said: “I grew up in a steel town and feel the communities and people here are very familiar to me. I am beyond proud to have been selected to serve as Chief Constable and am committed to working for our communities over the long term. My focus now is Cleveland Police.”
Mr Lewis, a Welsh speaker from Carmarthenshire, joined Dyfed Powys Police in 2000 and worked as a uniformed police officer across Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys. He worked his way up the ranks, serving as the Head of Professional Standards and as Assistant Chief Constable before being appointed as Temporary Deputy Chief Constable.
He is currently studying for a PhD in covert policing and is Wales policing lead for Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). He will take up his post on Monday 29 April 2019.
