Dorset Police has appointed Scott Chilton as a new Deputy Chief Constable. He will take over in October from DCC David Lewis, who has announced his retirement.

DCC Chilton most recent role was Assistant Chief Constable (Crime, Criminal Justice and Intelligence) at Hampshire Constabulary, where he was strategic lead across all investigations teams, custody, the wider criminal justice system and intelligence.

He joined the Hampshire force in 1992, working his way through uniformed policing before joining CID in 1996 and spending the next 16 years as a detective progressing through the ranks to Chief Superintendent.

He was later appointed the Head of Special Branch before taking over the role of Crime and Operations Commander in Western Hampshire in 2012. 

Since then he has been appointed as Head of the Joint Operations Unit across both Thames Valley and Hampshire areas with responsibility for Firearms, Operations and Roads Policing for five counties. 

Having successfully completed the Strategic Command Course in 2017 he was appointed Assistant Chief Constable in Hampshire where he has led both the Local Policing and Public Protection and the Crime, Criminal Justice and Intelligence portfolios.  

DCC Chilton holds a Master’s Degree in Applied Criminology from the University of Cambridge and has a strong background in intelligence, counter terrorism and leading investigations in series and complex crime. 

In 2008 he was seconded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to Afghanistan where he led development of policing reform and counter corruption. 

He said: “I am excited to be joining the brilliant team at Dorset Police and feel privileged to be taking on the role of DCC. I am looking forward enormously to getting to know people and communities across Dorset.

“I have always been a strong advocate of evidence-based policing and have a strong desire to ensure policing focuses its efforts on protecting the most vulnerable and targeting those criminals who cause harm and misery to our communities.”

Chief Constable James Vaughan said: “I am delighted to appoint Scott to this crucial role and I look forward to welcoming him into the Dorset Police family in October.

“He has a wealth of experience and will be a valuable asset to the Chief Officer team.”

Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner, Martyn Underhill, said: “Scott brings a great deal of experience from his extensive policing career and I look forward to welcoming him to Dorset, so we can continue building on our collective ambition to deliver an outstanding police service.”