Alastair McWhirter
Encyclopedia
Alastair McWhirter QPM MA was a British senior police officer until April 2007. Born in 1953 in Lanarkshire
, he was educated at Hamilton Academy
and Aberdeen University where he studied for an MA in English and History; this was followed by a Post Graduate Certificate of Education at Aberdeen Teacher Training College.
Alastair McWhirter was the Chief Constable
of Suffolk Constabulary
. He came to public prominence during the police 2006 Suffolk serial killer investigation in Ipswich in December 2006, one of the most prolific killers in recent British criminal history.
He taught English and drama in Winchester and joined Hampshire Constabulary in 1977.
He served in all ranks up to Chief Superintendent in Hampshire working in cities and more rural areas with diverse populations and policing challenges.
McWhirter was in 1996 appointed Assistant Chief Constable (Operations) in the Wiltshire Constabulary, responsible for all operational policing. He was largely responsible for returning the policing of the summer Solstice at Stonehenge back to 'normality' after a decade of confrontation with new Age travellers
and assorted Druid groups. He successfully developed the first joint Fire Police and Ambulance control room to share both a room and a computer system.
In 2000, he was appointed Deputy Chief Constable and he was appointed Chief Constable of Suffolk Constabulary in 2003. Alastair McWhirter was also the national spokesperson on rural policing for the Association of Chief Police Officers - ACPO. He represented the police service during the Hunting debate from 1998–2006 and was disliked by both pro- and anti- hunting groups for refusing to take sides in the fraught debate.
He has now left the police after reaching 30 years service. He is replaced as Suffolk's chief constable by Simon Ash, previously the deputy chief constable of Hertfordshire Police. He is now Chair of Suffolk Primary Care Trust.
Lanarkshire
Lanarkshire or the County of Lanark ) is a Lieutenancy area, registration county and former local government county in the central Lowlands of Scotland...
, he was educated at Hamilton Academy
Hamilton Academy
Hamilton Academy was a school situated in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Scotland.Described as "one of the finest schools in Scotland" in the Cambridge University Press County Biography of 1910, Hamilton Academy featured in the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association Magazine article series on...
and Aberdeen University where he studied for an MA in English and History; this was followed by a Post Graduate Certificate of Education at Aberdeen Teacher Training College.
Alastair McWhirter was the Chief Constable
Chief Constable
Chief constable is the rank used by the chief police officer of every territorial police force in the United Kingdom except for the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police, as well as the chief officers of the three 'special' national police forces, the British Transport Police, Ministry...
of Suffolk Constabulary
Suffolk Constabulary
Suffolk Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing Suffolk in East Anglia, England.Suffolk Constabulary is responsible for policing an area of , with a population of...
. He came to public prominence during the police 2006 Suffolk serial killer investigation in Ipswich in December 2006, one of the most prolific killers in recent British criminal history.
He taught English and drama in Winchester and joined Hampshire Constabulary in 1977.
He served in all ranks up to Chief Superintendent in Hampshire working in cities and more rural areas with diverse populations and policing challenges.
McWhirter was in 1996 appointed Assistant Chief Constable (Operations) in the Wiltshire Constabulary, responsible for all operational policing. He was largely responsible for returning the policing of the summer Solstice at Stonehenge back to 'normality' after a decade of confrontation with new Age travellers
New age travellers
New Age Travellers are groups of people who often espouse New Age or hippie beliefs and travel between music festivals and fairs in order to live in a community with others who hold similar beliefs. Their transport and homes consist of vans, lorries, buses, narrowboats and caravans converted into...
and assorted Druid groups. He successfully developed the first joint Fire Police and Ambulance control room to share both a room and a computer system.
In 2000, he was appointed Deputy Chief Constable and he was appointed Chief Constable of Suffolk Constabulary in 2003. Alastair McWhirter was also the national spokesperson on rural policing for the Association of Chief Police Officers - ACPO. He represented the police service during the Hunting debate from 1998–2006 and was disliked by both pro- and anti- hunting groups for refusing to take sides in the fraught debate.
He has now left the police after reaching 30 years service. He is replaced as Suffolk's chief constable by Simon Ash, previously the deputy chief constable of Hertfordshire Police. He is now Chair of Suffolk Primary Care Trust.