History and Welsh History

Dr Tim Brain OBE

‘The Independence of the Office of the Constable: A Necessary Myth?'

On Wednesday 12 November 2008, the Department of History and Welsh History at Aberystwyth University will host a lecture to be delivered by Dr Tim Brain OBE, Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Constabulary.

The lecture takes place in Lecture Theatre A12 in the Hugh Owen Building on the University's Penglais campus and starts at 6.00 p.m.

‘The Independence of the Office of the Constable: A Necessary Myth?’

In the lecture Dr Brain will trace the office of constable from its earliest times, exploring the development of the office. He will reflect upon the role of the constable in its present and historical context and consider the implications of ‘independence’ for current policing and governmental policy.

Dr Timothy Brain OBE QPM BA PhD FRSA has been the Chief Constable of Gloucestershire since 2001.  He was previously Deputy Chief Constable from 1998. Before joining the Service he was a student at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth, from 1972 to 1978 where he read history, obtaining a first class honours degree in 1975 and his PhD in 1983. 

He joined the Avon and Somerset Constabulary in 1978 under the graduate entry scheme, rising from constable to chief inspector prior to joining the Hampshire Constabulary on promotion to Superintendent. 

He became Assistant Chief Constable in the West Midlands Police in 1994, where he was responsible for Community Affairs and later Operations.  His specific responsibilities included the policing of Euro ’96, counter terrorist operations, and the extensive reorganisation of the force in 1997.  In 1998 he was promoted to become Deputy Chief Constable of Gloucestershire, where his responsibilities included community relations and strategic planning.

Since becoming Chief Constable of Gloucestershire he has embarked upon a programme of significant strategic change, turning the Constabulary into a leading edge 21st Century organisation.  The Force’s strategic plans Vision5 and Vision 2010 have been recognised as leading examples of strategic management. 

Achievements include completing the first Tri-service (Police, Fire and Ambulance) Emergency Control Centre, creating new specialist investigative units to combat serious and organised crime, and receiving the Investors In People award, becoming one of the few Police Forces to corporately achieve the standard. In January 2006 the Force completed a four-year project to build and occupy a new state of the art Headquarters.  This was built under the Public Finance Initiative, and was concluded on time and under budget.   

He has been a member of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) since 1994 and is now one of the most senior Chief Constables in the country. He is the Association’s spokesperson on prostitution and related vice matters, taking a leading part in framing the Government’s policy dealing with child prostitution in 1998 and creating ACPO’s own prostitution strategy in 2004.  He is chair of ACPO’s Finance Business Area, with national responsibility for financial matters.  He is also Chair of the Chief Police Officers’ Staff Association (CPOSA).  He led Gloucestershire’s response to the extensive flooding and water emergency of 2007.

He has written extensively on a variety of police matters, and is a frequent speaker at conferences on a wide range of police subjects including strategic leadership, performance management and anti-vice policing. He has been a critical reader for several publishing projects. 

He is member of the Aberystwyth University advisory boards to the Department of History and Welsh History, and the School of Management and Business Studies.  He was appointed Visiting Professor in Police Studies within the Faculty of Arts and Human Studies at London South Bank University in 2006 and Honorary Fellow of Aberystwyth University in 2007.

He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal (QPM) in the 2002 Birthday Honours. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA) in 2004.  He was elected a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute (CCMI) in 2007.  In the Birthday Honours of June 2008 Dr Brain became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to the Police and the community in Gloucestershire.

His interests include history, music, rugby union and supporting Gloucestershire County Cricket.  He is chair of British Police Rugby and the British Police Symphony Orchestra, and was responsible for leading the BPSO’s extensive tour of India in February 2008.
Dr Brain is married with one son.

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