Paul Kernaghan QPM CBE Chief Constable Hampshire Constabulary 1999 - 2009

Photo courtesy Hampshire Constabulary

Mr Paul Kernaghan read law at Queen's University, Belfast. He was commissioned in the Ulster Defence Regiment in 1976. On graduating with (LLB {Hons}) degree in 1978 he joined the Royal Ulster Constabulary and served throughout Northern Ireland. In 1991 he transferred to the West Midlands Police as a superintendent, specialising in criminal investigation.

In 1994 he attended the Senior Command Course at Bramshill and was appointed assistant chief constable (Operations) at North Yorkshire Police in February 1995, later becoming designated deputy chief constable. In 1997 he attended and graduated from the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS).

He took over as the Chief Constable of Hampshire on September 21, 1999.

Mr Kernaghan also holds an MA in Public Order (University of Leicester) and a post-graduate diploma in Personnel Management (University of Ulster).

He was awarded the Queens Police Medal (QPM) for distinguished service in 1998 and in 2005 he was appointed as a Commander, Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to policing.

Nationally, he leads for the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) on international policing matters with a particular interest in the police contribution to Peace Support Operations and has regularly visited Iraq in that role. He is Chief Constables’ Representative on the Chief Police Officers Staff Association (CPOSA) Committee.

Mr Kernaghan holds chairmanship of Hampshire Constabulary Welfare Fund,the Joint Negotiating and Consultative Committee, the Chief Officers’ Group (COG)and the Local Resilience Forum. He is President of the Hants & IOW Outward Bound and the Hampshire Constabulary History Society. He is a member of Local Criminal Justice Board (LCJB) and he is also a trustee of Hampshire Bobby Trust.