Alumni engagement and philanthropy



MEET MARK HAMILTON – THE NEW DEPUTY CHIEF CONSTABLE OF THE PSNI  

24 February 2020

The Northern Ireland Policing Board appointed Mark Hamilton, a two-time Queen’s Master’s graduate, as Deputy Chief Constable for the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) for a fixed term of 5 years, at a special meeting of the Board at the end of January.

Announcing the appointment, Policing Board Chair Professor Anne Connolly said: “I am pleased to confirm that Mark Hamilton has been appointed as the new Deputy Chief Constable of the PSNI following a rigorous, fair and lawful selection process.

“ACC Hamilton, who is currently responsible for District Policing Command in the PSNI, brings wide ranging experience to the role, having served in a range of posts during his 25 year career in policing. We are looking forward to working with Mark and wish him well in this key position of support to the Chief Constable.”

The appointment panel’s recommendation was unanimously ratified by the Policing Board and subsequently approved and welcomed by the Justice Minister Naomi Long.

In addition to a BA in French and Latin from Trinity College, Dublin and a Master’s in Science in Police Leadership and Management from Leicester University, Mr Hamilton has two additional Master’s degrees – one in Social Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice (2001) and the other in Human Rights Law (2007) – from Queen’s.

Mark Hamilton began his policing career in 1994. He has served in a wide range of posts around the Belfast and Armagh areas. He was Commander of Urban Region Operational Command Unit with responsibility for Roads Policing, Tactical Support Groups, Belfast Regional Control and Level II Crime.

In March 2009 he was promoted to Chief Superintendent and took over the role of District Commander, ‘A’ District, North and West Belfast.

Three years later he took up the role of Deputy Head of Service Improvement where he had responsibility for policing with the community, criminal justice, anti-corruption and vetting, and firearms and explosives.

In July 2013, he was promoted to Assistant Chief Constable, Service Improvement Department, taking on the role of NPCC Hate Crime Lead to promote Hate Crime standards and awareness across the UK a year later.

In March 2015, Mark was appointed as Interim Director of Human Resources until February 2016 when he took on responsibility for Legacy and Justice Department.

His latest appointment includes specific responsibility for performance and change management. 

In June 2019, Mark Hamilton was recognised in the Queen’s birthday honours with an OBE for services to policing and the community in Northern Ireland.

For general enquiries about this story or to submit a graduate news item, please contact Gerry Power, Communications Officer, Development and Alumni Relations Office (DARO), Queen’s University Belfast, on telephone: +44 (0)28 9097 5321.

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