MDP appoints Simon Dobinson as Deputy Chief Constable

Above: Simon Dobinson, Deputy Chief Constable, Ministry of Defence Police.
Courtesy MoD / Crown Copyright

Simon has been with the MDP since November 2024, previously holding the rank of Assistant Chief Constable for Territorial, Crime and Support. During his time in this role, he was instrumental in building key relationships across Defence, supporting the prioritisation of policing and security assets in support of homeland security.

Simon has had a varied policing career split between the MDP, Essex Police, the Metropolitan Police and Sussex and Surrey Police, serving in specialist and community-related policing roles at all levels.

During his career Simon has specialised in hostage negotiation, public order policing and, in armed policing, as a firearms officer and chief firearms instructor. He has held several firearms command roles.

As a chief officer in the Metropolitan Police Service, Simon had responsibility for the security portfolio, delivering the Protect strand of the government’s CONTEST strategy and aviation security covering London airports. Simon also held organisation-wide responsibility for the Met’s estate and physical security strategy as well as being their lead for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN).

In 2022 Simon transferred to the Sussex Police in a collaborative role with Surrey Police, with responsibility for specialist uniformed operational support across both forces involving armed policing, public order, dogs, roads policing, emergency planning and local resilience. Simon was Senior Responsible Officer for multiple programmes of work to improve operational effectiveness and efficiencies across both forces as well as being Chair of the Joint Force Legitimacy Board scrutinising use of police powers and Chair of county level road safety partnerships and the Sussex Local Resilience Forum.

In addition to his core roles, Simon has been the National Police Chiefs’ Council portfolio lead for aviation security and airport policing, working with commercial, governmental and law enforcement partners to improve the coordination, communication and consistency of cross-service collaboration in relation to protective security and policing of airports and general aviation.

Simon is a proud member of the Forward Institute which is a body made of up public, private and voluntary sector senior leaders who are passionate about pursuing the agenda of responsible leadership and the development of leaders both in and outside of policing. Simon is committed to driving change in organisational culture and has been a senior sponsor within the Met, Surrey and Sussex Police for leading work in support of improving inclusivity, diversity and equality.

Simon holds a Master’s degree in Risk, Crisis and Resilience Management.

Upon his new appointment as MDP DCC, Simon commented: "I am honoured to take on the role of Deputy Chief Constable of the MDP, a Force that is truly unique in providing specialist policing to defend Defence and protect the homeland. Having served as Assistant Chief Constable, I have witnessed first-hand the dedication and professionalism of our officers and Civil Servants. I look forward to continuing to support the MDP in delivering the highest standards of policing to protect our nation’s assets, infrastructure and personnel."

Chief Constable Kier Pritchard said: "Simon brings extensive experience from across his policing career, and I am confident that he will continue to play a key role in strengthening the MDP as we enhance our capability to support Defence, foster a positive culture, and achieve our strategic objectives."