Air Commodore Peter James Drissell (born 24 November 1955) is a retired Royal Air Force officer. He is currently Director of Aviation Security at the

Civil Aviation Authority A civil aviation authority (CAA) is a national or supranational statutory authority that oversees the regulation of civil aviation, including the maintenance of an aircraft register. Role Due to the inherent dangers in the use of flight vehicles, ...

. He previously served as Commandant-General of the

RAF Regiment The Royal Air Force Regiment (RAF Regiment) is part of the Royal Air Force and functions as a specialist corps. Founded by royal warrant in 1942, the Corps carries out soldiering tasks relating to the delivery of air power. Examples of such ta ...

, and as a

senior civil servant The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...

as Director Security and Business Continuity for the Home Office.

Early life

Drissell was born on 24 November 1955 in Bristol, England. In 1974, he began the study of psychology at City University. He graduated Bachelor of Science (BSc) in 1977.

Military career

On 15 September 1974, Drissell was commissioned into the Royal Air Force Regiment as an acting pilot officer. He was given the service number 5202750. He was regraded to

pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...

on 15 July 1977 with seniority in that rank from 15 October 1975. He was promoted to flying officer on 15 January 1978 and given seniority in that rank from 15 April 1976. He was promoted to

flight lieutenant Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...

on 15 October 1980. As part of the half-yearly promotions, he was promoted to squadron leader on 1 July 1988. He served as Officer Commanding No. 48 Squadron RAF Regiment from 1989 to 1991. In 1993, he began the study of War Studies at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. He graduated Master of Arts in 1994. He was promoted to wing commander on 1 July 1994 as part of the half-yearly promotions. Between 1996 and 1997, he was Officer Commanding Operations Wing at RAF Honington. He served as the personal staff officer to the Chief of the Air Staff from 1997 to 1998. He attended the Royal College of Defence Studies in 2003. As part of the half-yearly promotions, he was promoted to air commodore on 1 July 2003. He was appointed

Provost Marshal Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French ''prévost'' (Modern French ''prévôt''). While a provost marshal i ...

, the head of the Royal Air Force Police, and Air Officer Security on 27 February 2004. In 2005, he was appointed to the dual-hatted role of Commandant-General of the RAF Regiment and Air Officer RAF Police. He retired from the Royal Air Force in April 2007 after 32 years service.

Later life

In March 2008, Drissell joined the Home Office as a

in the appointment of Director Security and Business Continuity. In December 2012, he took on the role of Head of Security Profession attached to the

Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government objecti ...

in addition to his role in the Home Office. In May 2013, he left the civil service and joined the

as Director of Aviation Security. In July 2004, he became a non-executive director of the children's charity Plan UK. He had been a trustee of City and Guilds from 2012 until 2014

Personal life

In May 1995, Drissell was shot with seven bullets in an armed mugging as he returned to his house in Wandsworth Road from the Ministry of Defence. He survived the attack but four of the bullets remain in his body and his briefcase was taken.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Drissell, Peter 1955 births Living people Alumni of City, University of London Alumni of King's College London Military personnel from Bristol Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies Royal Air Force Regiment officers British civil servants 20th-century Royal Air Force personnel 21st-century Royal Air Force personnel