Keith Hellawell
Encyclopedia
Keith Hellawell is a former British
police officer
, who was the New Labour government's drugs
advisor and so called "drugs czar" from January 1998. He resigned from his position in July 2002 over the government's reclassification of cannabis
from a Class B to a Class C substance. Differences in opinion with the government over strategy towards tackling drugs were common during his tenure. In the position he was paid £106,057 a year.
, near Huddersfield
, Yorkshire
, UK
. He went to school at Kirkburton Secondary Modern School until the age of 15, then went to Dewsbury Technical College and Barnsley College of Mining. He started work as a coal miner in 1958 but left that job to pursue a career in the Huddersfield
Borough Police in 1962.
, he was appointed Assistant Chief Constable of West Yorkshire
Police in 1983, then Deputy Chief Constable of Humberside
Police in 1985. He received the Queen's Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 1990. He also completed an MSc in Social Policy from Cranfield University
and an external degree in Law from the University of London
. He later became Chief Constable of Cleveland
police and in 1993 became Chief Constable
of West Yorkshire Police. He is married and has three children. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Bradford
in July 1998, and an honorary degree by Leeds Metropolitan University
in 1997. He was the police chief in Bradford
in the 1970s. Keith has strong views on terrorists, child murderers and police murderers: he believes they should face the death penaltyhttp://ichuddersfield.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_method=full%26objectid=13766041%26siteid=50060-name_page.html. In August 2003, the chalet of his holiday home in the south of France
burnt down in a forest firehttp://ichuddersfield.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_method=full%26objectid=13284741%26siteid=50060-name_page.html. He is writing a crime novel.
published his autobiography called The Outsider:the autobiography of one of Britain's most controversial policemen. It was serialised in the Mail on Sunday. Two former detectives, Roy Smith and Laurence Andrews, took objection to the book which claimed they had conspired to pervert the course of justice when investigating a murder in 1968 in Aspley
. They sued for libel at the Royal Courts of Justice
in London and won their case in January 2004. Since 15 May 2006, Hellawell has been Chairman of com/directors Goldshield Group PLC
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
police officer
Police officer
A police officer is a warranted employee of a police force...
, who was the New Labour government's drugs
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
advisor and so called "drugs czar" from January 1998. He resigned from his position in July 2002 over the government's reclassification of cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
from a Class B to a Class C substance. Differences in opinion with the government over strategy towards tackling drugs were common during his tenure. In the position he was paid £106,057 a year.
History
Hellawell was born May 18, 1942 in KirkburtonKirkburton
Kirkburton is a village, civil parish and local government ward in the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England, south east of Huddersfield, in the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees...
, near Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. He went to school at Kirkburton Secondary Modern School until the age of 15, then went to Dewsbury Technical College and Barnsley College of Mining. He started work as a coal miner in 1958 but left that job to pursue a career in the Huddersfield
Huddersfield
Huddersfield is a large market town within the Metropolitan Borough of Kirklees, in West Yorkshire, England, situated halfway between Leeds and Manchester. It lies north of London, and south of Bradford, the nearest city....
Borough Police in 1962.
Police career
He became Britain's youngest police sergeant, aged 23. Rising through the ranks, including working in CIDCriminal Investigation Department
The Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service CID,...
, he was appointed Assistant Chief Constable of West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire
West Yorkshire is a metropolitan county within the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England with a population of 2.2 million. West Yorkshire came into existence as a metropolitan county in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972....
Police in 1983, then Deputy Chief Constable of Humberside
Humberside
Humberside was a non-metropolitan and ceremonial county in Northern England from 1 April 1974 until 1 April 1996. It was composed of land from either side of the Humber Estuary, created from portions of the East and West ridings of Yorkshire and parts of Lindsey, Lincolnshire...
Police in 1985. He received the Queen's Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 1990. He also completed an MSc in Social Policy from Cranfield University
Cranfield University
Cranfield University is a British postgraduate university based on two campuses, with a research-oriented focus. The main campus is at Cranfield, Bedfordshire and the second is the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom based at Shrivenham, Oxfordshire. The main campus is unique in the United...
and an external degree in Law from the University of London
University of London
-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...
. He later became Chief Constable of Cleveland
Cleveland, England
Cleveland is an area in the north east of England. Its name means literally "cliff-land", referring to its hilly southern areas, which rise to nearly...
police and in 1993 became 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 West Yorkshire Police. He is married and has three children. He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws by the University of Bradford
University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a British university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The University received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it the 40th University to be created in Britain, but its origins date back to the early 1800s...
in July 1998, and an honorary degree by Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University
Leeds Metropolitan University is a British University with three campuses. Two are situated in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England while the third is situated in Bhopal, India...
in 1997. He was the police chief in Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
in the 1970s. Keith has strong views on terrorists, child murderers and police murderers: he believes they should face the death penaltyhttp://ichuddersfield.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_method=full%26objectid=13766041%26siteid=50060-name_page.html. In August 2003, the chalet of his holiday home in the south of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
burnt down in a forest firehttp://ichuddersfield.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_method=full%26objectid=13284741%26siteid=50060-name_page.html. He is writing a crime novel.
Afterwards
In November 2002, HarperCollinsHarperCollins
HarperCollins is a publishing company owned by News Corporation. It is the combination of the publishers William Collins, Sons and Co Ltd, a British company, and Harper & Row, an American company, itself the result of an earlier merger of Harper & Brothers and Row, Peterson & Company. The worldwide...
published his autobiography called The Outsider:the autobiography of one of Britain's most controversial policemen. It was serialised in the Mail on Sunday. Two former detectives, Roy Smith and Laurence Andrews, took objection to the book which claimed they had conspired to pervert the course of justice when investigating a murder in 1968 in Aspley
Aspley, Huddersfield
Aspley is an area to the south of Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, England. It comprises a mixture of commercial units, a small number of houses and sections of the University of Huddersfield. It is known locally as Aspley Wharfe....
. They sued for libel at the Royal Courts of Justice
Royal Courts of Justice
The Royal Courts of Justice, commonly called the Law Courts, is the building in London which houses the Court of Appeal of England and Wales and the High Court of Justice of England and Wales...
in London and won their case in January 2004. Since 15 May 2006, Hellawell has been Chairman of com/directors Goldshield Group PLC