Trustees and Patrons

The work of the Trust is directed and governed by our Trustees, supported by our Patrons. Representing the police, community and businesses this diverse leadership group ensures that our work is guided by deep policing experience and strong strategic insight, allowing us to honour fallen members of the UK’s police service with dignity, extending our commemorative efforts, and to strengthen public understanding of policing in a modern age.

Trustees

Gavin Stephens QPM

Chair of Trustees

Gavin Stephens is Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC). He was appointed in April 2023.

Gavin has worked in policing for nearly 30 years, first joining the Cambridgeshire Constabulary in 1993 and then Surrey Police in 1996, where he has been working for over two decades now, serving in every rank up to the role of chief constable.

He was initially based in East Surrey on neighbourhood policing and went on to roles in serious and organised crime, professional standards and local policing.

On a national level, Gavin has played a major role in developing and modernising neighbourhood policing. He led the implementation of the Neighbourhood Policing Guidelines in 2016.

Ben Adams

Ben Adams was elected as Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime in 2021 and re-elected in 2024.

He is accountable for the performance of Staffordshire’s Police and Fire & Rescue services. He is also responsible for developing local plans that put Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent’s safety priorities first, while ensuring the service’s budget is spent wisely on the tools, training and support that the professional Police officers, Fire-fighters and staff need to keep people safe.

Ben has been working for communities across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent since 2007, as district councillor in Lichfield, a county councillor in Tamworth and as a parliamentary candidate for Stoke-on-Trent North & Kidsgrove in the 2015 and 2017 general elections.
Rev Canon David Wilbraham MBE

He is Chair of the Police Remembrance Trust, Chair of Trustees for the Police Roll of Honour Trust, and a member of the National Police Chiefs Council ‘well-being’ group. He leads on the coordinator of National Police Memorial Day held each September.

David is engaged with Police Charities UK, the Advisory Board of the Police Firearms Officers Association and the College of Policing Well Being Governance Board.

He was ordained in 1988 and in 2007 he was appointed as full time Force Chaplain with Thames Valley Police. In 2009 he was elected to lead the National Association of Chaplains to the Police [NACP] as National Police Chaplain.

In July 2018 David relinquished his role as Lead Chaplain at Thames Valley Police to concentrate fulltime on the role of National Police Chaplain providing a resource for Police Forces, individual Force Chaplaincies, and all related organisations.
Debbie Tedds

Debbie Tedds is the former Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police. Debbie has spent 35 in policing and has worked in variety of uniform and investigations departments across Warwickshire at all ranks including response policing, proactive and reactive crime investigation, child abuse, drugs unit, public order, firearms, search, crisis and hostage negotiation.

She was the previous NPCC lead for vetting and for firearms licensing and explosives.
Giles York QPM DL

With 30 years police experience, Giles York was Chief Constable of Sussex Police from 2014 to 2020. As well as his operational responsibilities, Giles was the vice-chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council and led significant national programmes focusing on digital transformation and workforce development. He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal (QPM) for distinguished service and is a Deputy Lieutenant for East Sussex. He volunteers in several ways including being County President for St John Ambulance in Sussex.

Giles was appointed Chair of the Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust in June 2023 after being a Non-Executive Director of the Trust from October 2021 to May 2023.
Grace Blake-Turner

Grace leads the Public Safety business for Amazon Web Services (AWS) in the United Kingdom’s Public Sector Sales Organisation. She was chief of staff to the UK Public Sector director, providing strategic advice and guidance.

Prior to joining AWS, Grace worked in the Metropolitan Police Service for 15 years. From front line to specialist posts, Grace helps mission-driven organisations unlock innovation to improve day to day challenges for public safety customers, and ultimately the citizens they serve.
James Slessor

James Slessor is a Managing Director and leads Accenture’s Global Public Safety practice focusing on policing, intelligence, justice, prisons and rehabilitation. He brings more than 15 years industry experience to his role supporting policing, justice and public safety organisations to improve operational performance and achieve greater efficiency.

James has worked extensively across the UK Criminal Justice system with organisations including the Metropolitan Police Service, the Home Office, Ministry of Justice, and a number of public safety agencies. He also advises on several of Accenture’s public safety engagements across Europe, Middle East, South Africa, the US and Asia Pacific. A recognised expert in his field, James has written extensively in leading industry publications on a range of policing topics including the use of social media and police information management.
Martin Hewitt CBE QPM

Martin Hewitt is the former Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC). He was appointed in April 2019. He began his policing career with Kent Police in 1993 and transferred to the Metropolitan Police Service in 2005.

As an Assistant Commissioner for five years, Martin led frontline and local policing, specialist crime and professional standards.

He led the national police response to adult sexual offences and kidnap between 2014 and 2019 and served as a Vice-Chair for the NPCC from 2015 before taking on the chairmanship.

Martin was awarded a QPM in 2014 and appointed a CBE in the New Year Honours of 2024 for services to policing.
Martin Jelley QPM

Martin Jelley is the former Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police. Following his retirement from policing he was appointed as Commissioner for Standards in the House of Lords.
Martin worked in policing for over 33 years and as well as Warwickshire, has served in three other forces. He also spent a period seconded to the Department for International Development to help improve policing in Malawi.

He was the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on vetting, professional and ethical standards and in 2016 was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal.
Martyn Underhill MBE

Martyn Underhill was a Police Officer in both the Metropolitan Police and Sussex Police from 1979 to 2009. He retired as a Detective Chief Inspector, having been a Senior Investigating Officer or Deputy Senior Investigating Officer in various murder enquiries, including the abduction and murder of Sarah Payne. During his service he gained a Diploma in Policing at Sussex University and a master’s degree in criminology at Portsmouth University as well as a PGCE.

On retirement, he was elected as Dorset’s Police and Crime Commissioner from 2011 to 2021, after which, he stood down and joined Bournemouth University as a Senior Lecturer.

Martyn now works in the Health and Social Sciences Faculty, and is joint Programme Lead of the BA in Criminology and Law Programme, and Unit lead of the Human Trafficking and Criminality Unit.
Rachel Swann QPM

Rachel Swann is the Chief Constable of Derbyshire Constabulary and the first woman to hold this position. She has a distinguished policing career.

In 2019 she was responsible for the largest peace-time evacuation of civilians in the UK in the hope of averting an unparalleled disaster.

At the time she was Derbyshire Police’s deputy chief constable and in charge of the operation to move 1,600 people from Whaley Bridge after the dam at Toddbrook reservoir began to collapse.
Richard Critchley

Richard served thirty three years with West Yorkshire Police and for the final sixteen years was an elected full time Federation official with the last ten years as Branch Secretary.

Following retirement he joined the National Association of Retired Police Officers (NARPO). He is a Branch Secretary and former national Vice President. In 2021 Richard was elected national President and Chairman.

He has spent so many years promoting and supporting the welfare of serving and retired Police officers and is an ardent supporter of the need to recognise the service and sacrifice of former colleagues.