Nottinghamshire Police's new Chief Constable settles into new role

The new chief constable of Nottinghamshire Police says “it feels like coming home” as she starts her new role.

Kate Meynell started her new job on December 12, after Craig Guildford transferred to West Midlands Police in the same role.

She said: “It is an absolute honour to be back in Nottinghamshire. It feels like coming home.

“I have served the majority of my career with Notts, lived most of my life in the county and I am looking forward to working with you all.”

She highlighted the progress that the police has made in recent years, in reducing violence, crime and in keeping a balanced budget.

Kate also highlighted the great work done by her predecessor, that she and the organisation will continue to build.

She added: “We cannot be complacent as there is more work to do. I am committed to building on the strong foundations in order to build my vision for the force ­— to deliver an outstanding service we can all be proud of.

“It is paramount we secure the trust and confidence of the communities we serve and that communities feel safe and listened to.”

For the first years, she worked across Hucknall and Eastwood in uniform roles before joining the criminal investigation department.

She had roles in the Child Abuse Investigation Unit, Divisional Criminal Investigation Department and Homicide Team.

She progressed through the ranks in both uniformed and detective roles.

In 2011 she was part of the new collaboration of the five forces of the East Midlands for major crime investigations.

Four years later she became head of East Midlands Special Operations Unit Major Crime.

In 2017 she transferred to Northamptonshire Police to the role of chief superintendent, head of crime.

She returned to Nottinghamshire Police in 2018 as assistant chief constable and led the foce’s strategic response during the covid pandemic.

In January 11, 2021 she moved to Derbyshire Police as deputy chief constable, until she became the new chief constable of Nottinghamshire Police this week.

The new chief constable said: “I am already planning an extensive programme of meetings, both with colleagues internally across the Force to build a sense of team and externally with partners and communities, and this programme will expand as I move through my first two months.

“This will help me identify some of the challenges we face and then look at the opportunities available to us.”

She says to believe in the importance of listening to the community and partners before future plans for the Force.

She concluded: “I want the public to have complete confidence in the police when they call up to report a crime or problem in their community.

“It is also paramount that people feel safe where they live, work, and socialise.

“I look forward to delivering for the communities of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.”