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Gary Copson

Gary Copson
  • Name. Gary Copson
  • Position. Strategic leadership consultant
  • Email. Email Gary

A life member of the Association of Chief Police Officers

Extensive experience in policing and government

Adviser on food crime to The Elliott Review into food chain integrity 

Published author on forensic psychology, criminology and policing 

Gary Copson served as a police officer from 1978 to 2010, the last eight years at chief officer level. He worked at local and regional level and, for a total of 11 years, on three different national roles within the Home Office. He has held ACPO leads on a range of issues, including psychological offender profiling, value for money and policing in prisons. He has chaired numerous national conferences on prison issues. He is one of few chief officers with a genuine detective background: in 2008 Inspector of Constabularies Ken Williams appraised him: “he has a hugely impressive operational background and has experiences few in the service could call upon with a range of testing and demanding issues...  He has excelled throughout his service and has high credibility”. Lord Ian Blair appraised his strategic capability as “Highly intellectual ... Very good analytical skills and has good understanding of policing within the wider political and social environment”. Uniquely, worked for a year across several regional collaboration programmes and was then the senior police officer working full time on the 2007-8 Review of Policing for Sir Ronnie Flanagan.

Employment history

• Since April 2010 self employed as a freelance and associate consultant in policing strategy and leadership at home and abroad

• Since June 2010 associate with Ernst & Young 

• From Sep 13 subject matter expert (SME) on intelligence and organized crime to the   Elliott Review for HMG into food assurance and integrity

• April 2002 to March 2010 Commander, Metropolitan Police, including:

o Officer in overall charge of territorial policing in East London 2009, responsible for five operation command units with total staff of 3,500 and devolved budgets of £24m pa out of total budgets of £130m pa.

o Deputy to Her Majesties Inspector of Constabularies Kate Flannery 2006-2008, with special responsibilities for advising and supporting regional collaboration programmes and lead role on the 2008-9 Review of Policing 

o Home Office Police Adviser to HM Prison Service 2002-2005, responsible for strategic relations, intelligence exchange, covert policing in prisons, risk management in relation to terrorist prisoners and anti-corruption initiatives

• Prior to 2002, served 24 years with the Metropolitan Police, mostly as a serious crime investigator and as a supervisor and leader of detective services.