Charles Pollard
Encyclopedia
- For the American astronomer, see Charles Pollard OlivierCharles Pollard OlivierCharles grew up in Charlottesville, Virginia, and he lived close to the University of Virginia. In 1901 he became an assistant at the nearby Leander McCormick Observatory, and in 1905 he was Vanderbilt fellow at the observatory. He completed his Ph.D...
Sir Charles Pollard, QPM
Queen's Police Medal
The Queen's Police Medal is awarded to police officers in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth for gallantry or distinguished service. Recipients may use the post-nominal letters "QPM", although the right to use these was only granted officially on 20 July 1969...
(born February 4, 1945) was Chief Constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
of Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....
from 1991 to 2001.
Pollard was educated at Oundle School
Oundle School
Oundle School is a co-educational British public school located in the ancient market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire. The school has been maintained by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City of London since its foundation in 1556. Oundle has eight boys' houses, five girls' houses, a day...
and began his career in the police force
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
at the age of 19 as a constable in the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
. He then undertook the accelerated promotions course at Bramshill Police College. On completion, he was awarded a Bramshill Scholarship to pursue a degree course of his choice and, in 1971, he was accepted by Bristol University to read Law.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he pursued his career in policing in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, and, in 1991, he was appointed Chief Constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
of Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....
, the largest non-metropolitan police force in the UK, serving more than two million people.
As Chief Constable, his vision of policing went far beyond the crudely retributive justice and zero tolerance policies favoured in the 1980s. Instead, he developed the policy and practice of restorative justice
Restorative justice
Restorative justice is an approach to justice that focuses on the needs of victims, offenders, as well as the involved community, instead of satisfying abstract legal principles or punishing the offender...
which aims to foster individual responsibility by requiring young offenders to acknowledge the consequences of their actions, and to make reparation both to their victims and to the community.
Under his leadership, Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....
pioneered the restorative justice model which was subsequently adopted throughout the country. He also promoted restorative justice through his membership of the Youth Justice Board
Youth Justice Board
The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales is an executive non-departmental public body, funded by and reporting to the Ministry of Justice and Department for Education and Skills...
, the Justice Research Consortium and the Winchester Restorative Justice Group.
From 1996 to 1998 he was Oxford chairman of the charity Common Purpose
Common Purpose UK
Common Purpose UK is a British charity that runs leadership development programmes across the UK.Founded in 1989 by its current Chief Executive, Julia Middleton, its aim is to improve the way organisations and society work together by developing all kinds of leaders through a programme of diverse...
.
He has collaborated with leading criminologists in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, and is a Reader in Criminology
Criminology
Criminology is the scientific study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behavior in both the individual and in society...
at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. In 2001 he was knighted in recognition of his services to policing and criminal policy. Since standing down as Chief Constable of the Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....
in 2001, he has devoted his time to the Youth Justice Board
Youth Justice Board
The Youth Justice Board for England and Wales is an executive non-departmental public body, funded by and reporting to the Ministry of Justice and Department for Education and Skills...
, and was formally appointed as its Acting Chairman by David Blunkett
David Blunkett
David Blunkett is a British Labour Party politician and the Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough, having represented Sheffield Brightside from 1987 to 2010...
. He was succeeded as Chairman by Rod Morgan
Rod Morgan
Rod Morgan is Professor Emeritus, University of Bristol and Visiting Professor at the London School of Economics and the University Police Science Institute, University of Cardiff...
in 2004.
He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
in 2003.