New Deputy Chief Constable for Essex Police selected
Current Assistant Chief Constable Andy Prophet is scheduled to take up the post
Essex Police Chief Constable Ben-Julian Harrington has said he is “personally and professionally pleased” to select the county’s next Deputy Chief Constable.
Current Assistant Chief Constable Andy Prophet, who has served Essex for the entirety of his 25-year-career, is scheduled to take up the post in September.
It will follow the departure of current Deputy Chief Constable, Pippa Mills, who will be taking up her post as Chief Constable of West Mercia.
Chief Constable Harrington said:
“I am personally and professionally pleased that Andy Prophet has been successful. He has dedicated his working life to protecting and serving the people of Essex.
"His leadership and his commitment to victims of crime, to colleagues at Essex Police and to the people of our county is outstanding. He will do a brilliant job.”
Mr Prophet said:
"I am delighted to have been selected as the next Deputy Chief Constable for Essex. My entire career has been in this county, and it has been my pleasure to protect and serve people across Essex for more than two decades. To be able to do it as a Deputy Chief Constable will be an even greater privilege.
“The Essex Police mission is clear; to catch criminals, to protect people and to keep people safe.
“I will work tirelessly, supporting the Chief Constable, to develop our people and our partnerships to do just that.”
Andy started his policing career in 1996 at Thurrock, where he spent six years on the beat as a Police Constable in Corringham and Grays.
Following a promotion to Sergeant, he moved to Southend, where he undertook the roles of shift supervisor, custody officer and then led a proactive team to tackle local drug dealing, burglary, and street crime in the district.
Andy’s policing journey in the south of the county continued and, after a successful five years as a Detective Inspector on CID, he became a District Commander for the first time. After overseeing policing in Rochford, he headed back to Southend to do the same.
He has since served as Local Policing Commander for the south of the county, and for west Essex. During his time in the west of the county, he forged strong links with three bordering Metropolitan Police Service boroughs to tackle criminals travelling from London into Essex and vice versa.
In early 2017 Andy was promoted to Assistant Chief Constable for Local Policing and Public Protection.
In early 2020, he took on responsibility for the Operational Policing Command and Contact Management, leading on everything from the county’s Marine Unit to the Force Control Room.
Andy is also the National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for the policing response to anti-social behaviour, street homelessness and e-scooters.
Outside work, Andy enjoys spending time with his wife and two children, playing cricket (by his own admission, increasingly poorly), cheering on Manchester United, and herding his three mad cats. His most important – and frequent – role is that of ‘Dad taxi’.