City of London appoints new Police Commissioner

Adrian Leppard

Adrian Leppard is set to be appointed as the City of London Police's new Commissioner. His candidature was approved at today's meeting of the Court of Common Council and is now subject to Royal Assent.

The decision means that Commissioner Leppard, who joins the City from the Kent Police where he was Deputy Chief Constable, will be heading up the country's lead force in economic crime. He will be overseeing the force's specialist crime investigations, many of which have national significance.  He will also ensure the City Police has a strong team in the run up to the Olympics and throughout the challenging CSR period ahead.

The City of London is the police authority for the Square Mile. The Chairman of the City's Police Committee, Simon Duckworth, welcomed today's decision:

 "I am delighted that Adrian has accepted the post of Commissioner.  He brings a wealth of relevant experience from both the Kent and Surrey forces .  Members of the Police Committee look forward to working with him in maintaining the Square Mile's reputation as a safe place in which to do business, live and visit." 

Commissioner Leppard  will be responsible for all policing matters in the City of London. The force concentrates on three key priorities: economic crime, counter terrorism, and community policing.

Mr Leppard joined Surrey Police in 1984 and has enjoyed a varied career. He served as a BCU Commander at North West Surrey but has spent most of his service as a detective investigating a broad range of criminality and gaining specialist experience in hostage negotiation, intelligence and covert operations. 

As a Senior Investigating Officer he has led investigations into homicides and other serious crimes, including a contract killing 'Commatteo Murder' which resulted in the largest covert investigation ever undertaken by Surrey Police. More recently as Assistant Chief Constable in Kent he led the investigation into the 'world's largest' £53 million Securitas robbery.

He has extensive experience of developing crime reduction strategies and was also instrumental in formulating the Kent Police response to Neighbourhood Policing.

He has received three Chief Constable's Commendations throughout his career and in 2001 completed a Masters Degree in Business (MBA).

He was appointed in December 2007 to the post of Deputy Chief Constable in Kent Police and since that time he has led the force re-structuring and collaboration programmes.  His former command roles within Kent included Assistant Chief Constable with responsibilities for Specialist Operations and more recently Area Operations.

Adrian Leppard said:  "I feel honoured to be offered this prestigious appointment within the City.  We face a challenging period ahead but I am confident that the City of London Police will respond to these challenges, working with the City Corporation and our partners we will continue make the City a safe place to live, work and visit."