William Sutherland (police officer)
Sir William Sutherland | |
|---|---|
| HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland | |
| In office 1996–1998 | |
| Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders | |
| In office 1983–1996 | |
| Chief Constable of Bedfordshire | |
| In office 1979–1983 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William George MacKenzie Sutherland 12 November 1933 Inverness, Scotland |
| Died | 30 May 2022 (aged 88) |
Sir William George MacKenzie Sutherland QPM (12 November 1933 – 30 May 2022),[1] often known as Bill Sutherland, was a British police officer.[2]
Sutherland was born in Inverness and educated at Inverness Technical High School.[2] He did his national service in the Royal Engineers, serving in Japan during the Korean War.[1]
After military service, he joined Cheshire Constabulary in 1954.[2][1] He moved to Surrey Constabulary in 1973, where he became chief superintendent in command of the Guildford division in 1974.[1] There, he took charge of the response to the Guildford pub bombings of 5 October 1974.[1] In 1975, he moved to Hertfordshire Constabulary as assistant chief constable,[1] and in 1979 was appointed chief constable of Bedfordshire Constabulary.[1] In 1983, he returned to Scotland as chief constable of Lothian and Borders Police,[3][1] where he remained from thirteen years. He then served as HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary for Scotland from 1996 to 1998.[1]
Sutherland was awarded the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) in the 1981 New Year Honours[4] and knighted in the 1988 Birthday Honours.[5]
While in Cheshire, he married policewoman Jennie Abbott, who came from Lancashire. They had two daughters, Alison and Anne.[1]
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Obituary, The Scotsman, 10 June 2022
- ^ a b c ‘SUTHERLAND, Sir William (George MacKenzie)’, Who's Who 2016, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2016; online edn, Oxford University Press, 2015; online edn, Nov 2015 accessed 27 May 2016
- ^ New chief constable. The Times (London, England), Saturday, 14 May 1983; pg. 10; Issue 61532
- ^ "No. 48467". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1980. p. 29.
- ^ "No. 51365". The London Gazette (Supplement). 10 June 1988. p. 2.
- 1933 births
- 2022 deaths
- People from Inverness
- Chief Inspectors of Constabulary (Scotland)
- Knights Bachelor
- Scottish recipients of the Queen's Police Medal
- People educated at Inverness Technical High School
- British Chief Constables
- Royal Engineers soldiers
- Military personnel from Inverness
- British Army personnel of the Korean War