John Duke (20 October 1926 – 26 February 1989) was a senior British police officer who rose through the ranks to be Chief Constable of Hampshire Constabulary.

Life

He was born in Newcastle-on-Tyne in the north-east of England and worked in the coal mines before going to London in 1947 to join the

City of London Police The City of London Police is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the City of London, including the Middle and Inner Temples. The force responsible for law enforcement within the remainder of the London region, ou ...

. After 22 years with that force he transferred to

Essex Constabulary Essex Police is a territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Essex, in the East of England. Essex Police is responsible for a population of over 1.8 million people and an area of . The chief constable is Ben-Julian Harrin ...

as an Assistant Chief Constable, being promoted to Deputy Chief Constable there in 1972. On 1 September 1977 he was appointed

Chief Constable of Hampshire The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the counties of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in South East England.Hampshire Constabulary, 2012 Retrieved 27 April 2012 The force area inc ...

, where he oversaw the introduction of many changes, not least the introduction of the Air Support Unit and modern communication and training centres. He retired from the force in 1988.

Honours and awards

Queen's Police Medal The King's Police Medal (KPM) is awarded to police in the United Kingdom for gallantry or distinguished service. It was also formerly awarded within the wider British Empire, including Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, most of whic ...

(QPM) * 1986 : Made

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) in the

1986 Birthday Honours Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in supple ...

* 1989: Deputy-Lieutenant for Hampshire

Private life

He died in 1989 after surgery. He had married Glenys, with whom he had four daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duke, John 1926 births 1989 deaths People from Newcastle upon Tyne British Chief Constables Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Deputy Lieutenants of Hampshire English recipients of the Queen's Police Medal