Davies was appointed on a secondment basis after a formal recruitment exercise led by the Serious Organised Crime Agency on the Home Secretary’s behalf. He’ll take up the post from next Monday after a formal handover with outgoing chief executive Jim Gamble.
Speaking about his appointment, Davies said: “The CEOP is a terrific organisation which adds unique value to the many efforts carried out by different agencies, the voluntary sector, industry and partnerships to safeguard children and vulnerable people.”
He added: “These are challenging times across the public sector, and I believe the mission of the CEOP to safeguard children everywhere is as valid now as it always has been. It’s a great privilege to have the opportunity to work with a group of such talented and committed people to achieve that aim.”
Specialist policing to protect the public
Davies’ role at Lincolnshire Police has involved responsibility for protecting the public through specialist policing, and serving members of the public through the Force Communications Centre.
During his time as a chief officer he has held responsibility for all aspects of policing in the county, co-ordinating the work of the East Midlands forces to tackle serious organised crime and, only recently, concluding a 12-month secondment with Nottinghamshire Police which encompassed serious crime, critical incident management and substantial organisational and performance improvement.
In fact Davies has served as temporary deputy chief constable in both Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.
He’s a member of ACPO’s Cabinet and Board of Directors, and holds national policy responsibilities on behalf of ACPO for security industry relations and Community Safety Accreditation Schemes.
In days gone by, Davies has led on the introduction of PCSOs nationally and contributed to the introduction of the national model for neighbourhood policing.
Roles in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire
After joining Thames Valley Police in 1986, he served in numerous roles in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, leading the policing of sustained animal rights protests against a cat breeding establishment in Oxfordshire during 1997-1998.
In 1999 he transferred to Lincolnshire Police as divisional commander. Davies was made director of information and communications technology in 2001 and, in 2002, attended the national Strategic Command Course. He was appointed assistant chief constable in April 2003.
Davies’ professional interests include the extended policing family, efficiency and productivity, performance management, serious crime and the media.
An academic, Davies gained a BA (Honours) in Theology and Religious Studies from Cambridge University in 1983 followed by an MA in 1985.
In 2002, he attained a Diploma in Applied Criminology and Police Management (again from Cambridge).
Comment from the Home Office
Speaking about Davies’ new role, Home Office minister for crime prevention James Brokenshire said: “We welcome the appointment of Peter Davies as the new chief executive of the CEOP. Child protection is an absolute priority for this Government, and the CEOP continues to play a crucial role in ensuring children are safeguarded.”
Brokenshire continued: “We intend to build on the CEOP’s invaluable work aimed at tackling the sexual exploitation of children by placing it centre stage in the fight against all forms of serious crime. Arrangements are now in place to ensure there’s a smooth handover period. We would like to thank Jim Gamble for his dedicated work and wish him every success for the future.”
Trevor Pearce, the director general of SOCA, added: “The most important issue here is that vulnerable children are protected. Peter brings years of relevant experience to the role, and he has an outstanding contribution to make to the CEOP’s vital work.”
Jim Gamble QPM stated: “I’m delighted for Peter Davies. He’s coming to work with a fantastic group of committed child protection advocates and I wish him every success with CEOP for the future.”
For more information on the work of the CEOP visit its website (a dedicated link is provided on the right hand panel of this page)
