Iain Livingstone has been confirmed as the new Chief Constable of Police Scotland.
He took interim charge of the national force last autumn when previous Chief Constable Phil Gormley was placed on special leave following allegations of gross misconduct.
Mr Livingstone will formally take up the post on 27 August and will be responsible for leading Police Scotland’s 22,000 officers and civilian staff.
He graduated in law from the Universities of Aberdeen and Strathclyde, and worked as a solicitor in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London before joining the police in 1992.
Mr Livingstone previously served with the Lothian and Borders force, where he was head of CID and his career has included external attachments to the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland as a special investigator, to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary as a member of Lord Bonomy’s review of corroboration, and he currently sits on the Scottish Sentencing Council.
He was awarded the Queens Police Medal in May 2015.
Mr Livingstone said, “I am extremely proud and humbled to be appointed as Scotland’s next Chief Constable. It is a great responsibility and opportunity to lead a 22,000 strong team of dedicated and committed professionals, and to harness their ideas and potential in the service of the people of Scotland.
“Policing has been my life and the demands on it are developing faster today than at any time in my career. It is my job now to lead and drive change in policing to adapt to those challenges and to build on the values, ethos and traditions of policing in Scotland that first attracted me to this profession 26-years ago.”
Susan Deacon, Chair of the SPA and Chair of the Selection Panel who interviewed candidates for the role, announced the appointment saying, “I am pleased to announce the appointment of Iain Livingstone as Chief Constable of Police Scotland. The decision follows an extremely rigorous and robust selection process which has involved a range of external advice and inputs.
“Iain Livingstone is an outstanding police leader who has made an exceptional contribution to policing in Scotland. I am confident that as Chief Constable, working together with a recently strengthened leadership team, he will provide renewed stability, purpose and direction to Police Scotland after a demanding and challenging period.
“This is a significant milestone in our continued efforts to strengthen the leadership and governance of policing in Scotland. I look forward to working with Iain Livingstone and his team as we continue to develop policing to keep people safe and meet the needs of a changing Scotland.”
Scotland’s Justice Secretary, Humza Yousaf said Mr Livingstone had “demonstrated he has the right qualities to lead Police Scotland as the service continues to enhance its ability to tackle crime and keep people safe.”
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
