Introducing… Chief Insp Rachel Patterson, Deputy Commander Chiltern & South Bucks (LPA)

(From Neighbourhood Policing Alert)

Last week Chief Inspector Rachel Patterson started in the role of Deputy Commander for the Chiltern & South Buckinghamshire Local Policing Area (LPA), taking over from Chief Inspector Scott Messenger who is moving into a regional policing role.

C/Insp Patterson brings with her twenty years of policing experience in in operational roles covering response, custody and neighbourhood policing. She joined Thames Valley Police in 2009 as a response Sergeant working in South Oxfordshire & Vale of the White Horse LPA after transferring from Cambridgeshire Constabulary, where she worked towards local priorities including the reduction of burglaries and speeding.

After being promoted to Inspector, C/Insp Patterson moved to the Oxford area where her work focused largely on community engagement and working closely with partner agencies, particularly to tackle the emerging issues of child exploitation and county drug lines.

Whilst in the police, she has also completed a graduate Diploma in Law and written an academic article on child drug running networks.

Most recently, C/Insp Patterson has been working in a strategic role to identify and recommend areas of improvement across different departments as the force continues to evolve with its ever-changing environment. For the last year, she has been on the senior management team for Thames Valley Police’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring the force smoothly adapts to the roadmap out of lockdown.

On her new appointment, C/Insp Patterson said: “I am really excited to start in my new role in Chiltern and South Buckinghamshire, knowing that I am joining a team of extremely dedicated and hardworking police officers and staff who are passionate about policing.

“I am committed to delivering an excellent service to the communities we serve, focusing on the preventing crime that is impacting on our neighbourhoods. Bringing offenders to justice and keeping victims are the centre of our investigations will continue to be the priorities for the policing team here in Chiltern and South Buckinghamshire. This is rightly what our local communities expect and together with Supt Clements and DCI Alexander, I will ensure officers and staff have all they need to meet and exceed these expectations.

“I am looking forward to working alongside partners, businesses and the public and look at how we can work together to keep Chiltern and South Buckinghamshire a safe place to live and work”.