Martin Hewitt (police officer)

Martin James Hewitt CBE QPM (born 23 March 1966) is a senior British law enforcement officer who has been serving as the Border Security Commander since September 2024. He is a former soldier and police officer who previously served as chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council from May 2019 to March 2023.

Martin Hewitt CBE QPM
Hewitt in 2024
Border Security Commander
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 September 2024
Appointed by	Yvette Cooper
Preceded by	Office established
Chairman of the National Police Chiefs' Council
In office March 2019 – March 2023
Preceded by	Sara Thornton
Succeeded by	Gavin Stephens
Personal details
Born	(1966-03-23) 23 March 1966 (age 58)
Education	Salesian College, Battersea
Alma mater	University of Leicester
Military service
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Branch/service	British Army
Years of service	1987–1993
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	Royal Artillery

Early life and education

Hewitt was born on 23 March 1966 in London, England. He was educated at the Salesian College, Battersea, an all-boys Catholic grammar school in London.^[1] He would later attend the University of Leicester, completing a postgraduate diploma in criminal justice studies in 2000.^[2]

Hewitt's first career was in the military, serving in the British Army for seven years.^[3] Having attended the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, he was commissioned into the Royal Artillery as a second lieutenant on 11 April 1987.^[4] He was promoted to lieutenant on 11 April 1989.^[5] He was transferred to the reserve of officers on 31 January 1993, thereby ending his active service.^[6]

Police career

Hewitt (4th from left) attending the National Policing Board in 2019

After leaving the army, Hewitt joined Kent Police in 1993, and served in uniform and as a detective.^[7] In 2005, he transferred to the Metropolitan Police as a detective chief superintendent.^[7] In the 2014 Queen's Birthday Honours, he was awarded the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) for his service as a deputy assistant commissioner in the Met.^[8][9]

He was the Metropolitan Police's Assistant Commissioner (Professionalism) until April 2016, when he became Assistant Commissioner (Territorial Policing).^[10] That role was renamed Assistant Commissioner Frontline Policing in 2018,^[11] and he held it until the end of that year.

He had been deputy chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) since 2015. He took up his role as chair of the NPCC in April 2019, succeeding Sara Thornton,^[12] and with Mark Simmons succeeding him as Assistant Commissioner Frontline Policing.^[13] He has also led national-level police responses to kidnap and adult sexual offences. His first interview, in January 2020, as head of the NPCC lays out his approach.^[14] During the COVID-19 pandemic, he spoke as part of the government's team for daily briefings.^[15]

Hewitt was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2024 New Year Honours for services to policing.^[16]

Border Security Commander

On 15 September 2024, Hewitt was appointed as the UK's first Border Security Commander.^[17]

Honours

Ribbon	Description	Notes
	Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)	2024
	Queen's Police Medal (QPM)	2014
	General Service Medal	With "Northern Ireland" clasp
	UNFICYP	90 days' service with peacekeeping mission in Cyprus
	Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal	2002; UK Version
	Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal	2012; UK Version
	Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal	2022; UK Version
	Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal

References

1. "Hewitt, Martin James". Who's Who 2019. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2019. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U282717. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 20 December 2019.
2. "Hewitt, Martin James, (born 23 March 1966), Chair, National Police Chiefs' Council, since 2019". Who's Who 2022. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
3. "Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt, Chair of the NPCC". Archived from the original on 29 September 2020.
4. "No. 50965". The London Gazette (Supplement). 15 June 1987. pp. 7682–7683.
5. "No. 51696". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 April 1989. p. 4291.
6. "No. 53211". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 February 1993. p. 2304.
7. "Hewitt, Martin James, (born 23 March 1966), Chair, National Police Chiefs' Council, 2019–23". Who's Who 2024. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 4 November 2024.
8. "Police Federation - Newsroom - Twenty-eight police officers and staff recognised in the Queen's Birthday Honours".
9. "No. 60895". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 2014. p. b36.
10. "Senior Management". Metropolitan Police.
11. "Executive Structure" (PDF). Metropolitan Police. June 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 August 2018.
12. "Assistant Commissioner Martin Hewitt appointed to lead National Police Chiefs' Council from April 2019". 12 November 2018.
13. "Executive Structure". Metropolitan Police. January 2019. Archived from the original on 29 March 2019.
14. Dearden, Lizzie (4 January 2020). "The police chief who believes arrests aren't the key to fighting rising crime". The Independent.
15. Corbishley, Sam (11 April 2020). "UK crime down 21% due to coronavirus lockdown". Metro. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
16. "No. 64269". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 2023. p. N10.
17. "New Border Security Commander appointed as Prime Minister's European reset continues in Italy". GOV.UK. Retrieved 16 September 2024.

Police appointments
Preceded by Sara Thornton	Chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council 2019–2023	Succeeded by Gavin Stevens