Andy Cooke (police officer) explained

Andy Cooke
Office:His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services
Term Start:12 April 2021
Predecessor:Sir Tom Winsor
Birth Name:Andrew James Cooke
Birth Date: October df=y
Alma Mater:University of Nottingham
Profession:Police officer
Office2:Chief Constable of Merseyside Police
Termstart2:2016
Termend2:2021
Succeeded2:Serena Kenedy

Andrew James Cooke, (born 10 March 1964) is a British public servant and former police officer. Since 1 April 2022, he has served as His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Constabulary and His Majesty's Chief Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services. He had served as a police officer and detective with Merseyside Police and Lancashire Constabulary, rising to become Chief Constable of Merseyside Police from 2016 to 2021.[1] [2] [3]

Biography

Cooke was born on 10 March 1964 in Liverpool, England. He was educated at St Francis Xavier's College, then a Catholic grammar school in Liverpool. He studied politics at the University of Nottingham, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1985.

In 1985, Cooke joined Merseyside Police as a constable. Then, from 1989 to 2008, he served as a detective, working through each rank from detective constable to detective chief superintendent. In 2008, he became a chief officer, having been appointed assistant chief constable of Lancashire Constabulary. He was ACC Specialist Operations and ACC Territorial Operations. He returned to Merseyside Police in 2013 as its deputy chief constable, before being appointed its chief constable in 2016. In addition to the roles he held within his force, he was national policing lead for witness protection (2008–2017), for serious and organised crime (2017–2019), and for crime business area (2019–2021).

In February 2021, it was announced that he had been appointed an Inspector of Constabulary for England and Wales: he took up the appointment on 12 April 2021. In March 2022, it was revealed that he was the British government's preferred candidate for the joint role of HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary and Chief Fire & Rescue Inspector in England.[4] He took up the posts on 12 April 2021, in succession to Sir Tom Winsor.

In the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours, Cooke was awarded the Queen's Police Medal for Distinguished Service (QPM) for his service as Deputy Chief Constable of Merseyside Police. In September 2021, he was made a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) to the Lord Lieutenant of Merseyside.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Andy Cooke QPM DL . HMICFRS . His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services . 30 April 2023 . 9 September 2022.
  2. Web site: Cooke, Andrew James, (born 10 March 1964), HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary and HM Chief Inspector of Fire & Rescue Services, since 2022 (HM Inspector, 2021–22) . . Oxford University Press . 30 April 2023 . en . 1 December 2022.
  3. News: Dodd . Vikram . Ex-Merseyside police chief to be new head of policing inspectorate . 30 April 2023 . The Guardian . 16 March 2022.
  4. Web site: Andrew Cooke unveiled as preferred candidate for HM Chief Inspector . GOV.UK . Home Office . 30 April 2023 . en . 21 March 2022.