Former Wiltshire chief constable appointed deputy at Ministry of Defence Police
The former chief constable of Wiltshire Police, Kier Pritchard, has been appointed as the new deputy chief constable at Ministry of Defence Police (MDP).
Mr Pritchard said he was “proud” to have been given the opportunity to help lead the force.
It follows the appointment of Melanie Dales as chief constable in May.
She said: “I am delighted that Kier will be joining us as deputy chief constable. His breadth of senior leadership experience in policing will help strengthen the force as we continue to build our capability to serve defence, improve our culture, and evolve to face new challenges.
“We are all very much looking forward to welcoming Kier to the force and working with him in his new role.”
Mr Pritchard, who began his career with Wiltshire Police in 1993, said: “I am proud to have been given this opportunity to help lead the MDP, as a force which provides unique, specialist policing to protect the nation’s defence and national infrastructure.
“It will be an honour to serve defence, and I am looking forward to the new and exciting challenges this will bring, working together with military and policing colleagues.”
Mr Pritchard dedicated his service to his home force, following in the footsteps of his late father who served in Wiltshire Constabulary.
He has performed many operational roles within frontline policing, criminal investigation, public protection and intelligence.
In 2012, as detective chief superintendent head of Protective Services, he provided leadership across the specialist operations command for firearms and roads policing, and led the force response to all crime, intelligence, safeguarding and covert policing. As the then ACPO child death portfolio holder he developed the national investigative doctrine to professionalise the police and multi-agency response to sudden and unexplained child death.
Mr Pritchard operated as assistant chief constable operations from 2014 and graduated from the strategic command course in March 2016. As assistant chief constabl he led the force response and community policing functions, intelligence directorate, criminal justice, prevention command and the emergency crime and communications centre. As assistant chief constable he was the chief officer lead for an operational collaboration between Avon and Somerset Constabulary, Gloucestershire Constabulary and Wiltshire Police in the delivery of specialist firearms, roads policing, dog units, firearms training and major crime capabilities.
In 2018, he was appointed chief constable of Wiltshire Police, a position he held for five successive years until his retirement in June 2023. Upon his appointment, he led the force and partners through two unprecedented major incidents in the city of Salisbury and surrounding town of Amesbury following the Novichok nerve agent attack.
As chief constable, Mr Pritchard chaired the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Resilience Forum (LRF) where he coordinated partnership activity in both preparation and response to major events and emergencies, including the protection of our critical national infrastructure. He led the LRF through multiple major incidents, including Covid-19 and the partnership response to extreme weather.
Mr Pritchard also held the National Police Chiefs’ Council portfolio for the Emergency Services Mobile Communication Programme in which he worked with the Home Office programme team and national stakeholders to prepare the police service for transition from the Airwave radio system to the new Emergency Services Network.
He is proud to have served as a detective in each rank during his career with Wiltshire Police and to have operated as a hostage and crisis negotiator.
Mr Pritchard was also a College of Policing assessor and executive coach to underrepresented members of the national talent programme, and in 2021 he graduated from the Cabinet Office National Leadership Centre development programme, where he further harnessed his passion for working with partners and cross-sector leaders.
At MDP, he will support the chief constable in leading the force and delivering an effective policing service for defence.
In his spare time, Mr Pritchard enjoys running and being with his family. He is married to Anna, a senior Crown prosecutor for Wessex CPS, and is the ather of five children (four sons and one daughter).