As I prepare to step away from my role as Project Lead of the NVCRP and move into a new position with the National Crime Agency (NCA), I’ve been taking time to reflect on what this chapter has meant to me.
The NVCRP has been a significant and rewarding part of my journey following 31 years with Merseyside Police. I retired from Merseyside Police in 2024 as Temporary Assistant Chief Constable, having spent the vast majority of my career as a detective, leading teams, and tackling some of the most serious and complex crimes across the region. Policing has always been about more than enforcement for me; it’s about leadership, partnership and creating the conditions to prevent harm in the first place.
That ethos is exactly what drew me to the NVCRP.
Vehicle crime is often underestimated, yet it is increasingly sophisticated and closely linked to serious and organised criminality. Addressing it properly requires far more than isolated effort. It demands genuine collaboration between policing, government, manufacturers, insurers, and industry partners. One of the greatest strengths of the NVCRP is that it has brought those voices together with a shared purpose and a clear strategy.
During my time leading the partnership, I’ve seen a real shift, stronger information sharing, clearer national focus, and growing momentum behind prevention and disruption activity. None of that happens by accident. It happens because committed people choose to work collectively, challenge constructively and remain focused on long-term impact.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my time with the NVCRP. It has been a privilege to work alongside such dedicated professionals who are united by a determination to reduce vehicle crime and protect communities across the UK. The professionalism, expertise and openness shown by partners across every sector have been exceptional.
More importantly, the NVCRP’s journey is far from complete. In many ways, it is just getting started. The foundations are strong, the collaboration is embedded, and the ambition is clear. I have every confidence that the partnership will continue to grow, becoming bigger, better, and even more influential in shaping the national response to vehicle crime.
Indeed, 2026 is already looking like an exciting year for the NVCRP with some significant pieces of work to assist in delivering the NVCRP 3-year Strategy. This includes the forthcoming International RUSI conference, which the NVCRP has been pivotal in sponsoring and organising, the prospect of a Ministerial led, Industry focused roundtable on the vulnerabilities at our Ports, progressing the Interpol Recommendation which we (NVCRP / UK law enforcement and Home Office) secured at the international vehicle crime conference. We are also designing a new training package to raise awareness of the current methodology, signs, and clues to identify stolen vehicles and the devices used to steal vehicles. Look out for the O.D.D. training video in the next few months. Finally, we are supporting NPCC in the planning and funding of future Op Alliances national week of action around vehicle crime. Each of these strategic objectives directly supports the five pillars of the NVCRP Strategy and will support, across numerous fronts, the fight against vehicle crime.
While I now move on to the NCA to continue tackling serious and organised crime on a broader scale, I do so incredibly proud of what has been achieved through the NVCRP, and excited to see how it continues to progress.
