Francis Habgood

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Francis Habgood
Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police
In office
April 2015 – April 2019
Preceded bySara Thornton
Succeeded byJohn Campbell
Personal details
Born
Francis John Stapylton Habgood

(1964-11-19) 19 November 1964 (age 59)
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom
NationalityBritish
EducationChorister School, Durham
Repton School
Alma materNewcastle University
University of Cambridge

Sir Francis John Stapylton Habgood QPM DL (born 19 November 1964) is a retired senior British police officer. He was the Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police. He was appointed in April 2015. He is also a visiting fellow at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford University. He holds the Queen's Police Medal.

His final day as Chief Constable of Thames Valley Police was 22 March 2019,[1] retiring at the age of 54 after having served four years in the post, 15 years within that force, and more than 32 years in total within the police service.[2]

Early life and education[edit]

Habgood was born on 19 November 1964 in Jedburgh, Scotland. His father was John Habgood, an Anglican priest who would later rise to become Archbishop of York and a life peer. He was educated at the Chorister School, Durham, and Repton School in Derbyshire.[3] He studied mechanical engineering at Newcastle University (BSc) and applied criminology the University of Cambridge (Diploma).[4]

Policing career[edit]

Habgood first served with West Yorkshire Police which he joined in 1987.[5]

Habgood joined Thames Valley Police in January 2004 as Assistant Chief Constable (Specialist Operations). He was promoted to Deputy Chief Constable in October 2008. In February 2016, it was announced that he has also be appointed a visiting Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford.[6][7]

He was knighted in the 2020 New Year Honours for services to policing.[8]

Later life[edit]

Since 2019, Habgood has been an independent chair of the Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Children Board and the Buckinghamshire Safeguarding Adults Board.[4]

Family[edit]

Francis Habgood is the son of Lord Habgood, the former Archbishop of York, and is therefore entitled to the honorific "The Honourable". He is the grandson of Lt.-Col. Arthur Henry Habgood RAMC[9] and Vera Chetwynd-Stapylton.[10]

Habgood is married to Dr. Nicolette Tamsin Campbell, and they have two sons.[4][11]

Honours[edit]

In 2020, he was appointed a deputy lieutenant (DL) for Buckinghamshire.[4]


Ribbon Description Notes
Knight Bachelor (Kt)
Queen's Police Medal (QPM)
Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal
  • 2002
  • UK Version of this Medal
Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal
  • 2012
  • UK Version of this Medal
Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Police chief retires today".
  2. ^ "Chief Constable Francis Habgood". Thames Valley Police. 2019. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
  3. ^ "HABGOOD, Hon. Francis John Stapylton". Who's Who 2017. Oxford University Press. November 2016. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Habgood, Hon. Sir Francis (John Stapylton), (born 19 Nov. 1964), DL; Chief Constable, Thames Valley Police, 2015–19". Who's Who 2021. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2020. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Thames Valley Police - Chief Constable Francis Habgood". Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 13 May 2016.
  6. ^ Adams, Richard (5 February 2016). "Oxford college appoints Benedict Cumberbatch and Emma Watson". The Guardian. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  7. ^ "Visiting Fellows". Lady Margaret Hall. University of Oxford. Archived from the original on 13 July 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  8. ^ a b "No. 62866". The London Gazette (Supplement). 28 December 2019. p. N2.
  9. ^ "Person Page". Thepeerage.com. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  10. ^ "Person Page". Thepeerage.com. Retrieved 13 October 2018.
  11. ^ "Person Page". Thepeerage.com. Retrieved 13 October 2018.