Scott’s most recent role was assistant chief constable (Crime, Criminal Justice and Intelligence) at Hampshire Police, where he was strategic lead across all investigations teams, custody, the wider criminal justice system and intelligence.

He joined the Hampshire force in 1992, working his way through uniformed policing before joining CID in 1996 and spending the next 16 years as a detective progressing through the ranks to Chief Superintendent.

Chief Constable James Vaughan said: “Scott has a wealth of experience and will be a valuable asset to the Chief Officer team.”

Scott holds a Master’s Degree in Applied Criminology from the University of Cambridge and has a strong background in intelligence, counter terrorism and leading investigations in serious and complex crime.

In 2008 he was seconded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to Afghanistan where he led development of policing reform and counter corruption.

He was later appointed the head of Special Branch before taking over the role of Crime and Operations Commander in Western Hampshire in 2012.

Since then he has been appointed as head of the Joint Operations Unit across both Thames Valley and Hampshire areas with responsibility for Firearms, Operations and Roads Policing for five counties.

He completed the Strategic Command Course in 2017.

Scott said, “I have always been a strong advocate of evidence-based policing and have a strong desire to ensure policing focuses its efforts on protecting the most vulnerable and targeting those criminals who cause harm and misery to our communities.”