Merseyside Police Authority is pleased to announce that Jonathan Murphy is the next Chief Constable of Merseyside Police.

Mr Murphy has been with the police service for 33 years and is currently the National Coordinator for Serious and Organised Crime with the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), a role he has held since September 2007.

Mr Murphy first joined Merseyside Police in 1976 where he progressed through the ranks and by 1995 was Detective Chief Inspector. By 1999 he was a Superintendent and had the role of Force Operations Manager with overall responsibility for all uniform support departments. In 2001 he was promoted and moved to the National Crime Squad as an Assistant Chief Constable.

In 2004 he returned to Merseyside Police as Deputy Chief Constable, a role he held for three years before leaving for his current role with ACPO.

Mr Murphy was selected by the Appointments Committee of Merseyside Police Authority, chaired by Cllr Bill Weightman.

Cllr Weightman said: “I am delighted to announce that Jonathan Murphy will lead our police service into the next decade and whole-heartedly welcome him back to Merseyside Police.

“He has a wealth of experience to bring to the challenging role of Chief Constable, and in partnership with the Police Authority we are determined to build upon the successes achieved in recent years particularly around increasing confidence and satisfaction, improving overall performance and across the board reductions in crime. I am confident that our police service will be in the best possible hands.”

Mr Murphy grew up and was educated in Liverpool and studied for a BA (Hons) in Law at Liverpool University. In 1995 he was awarded a Fulbright Police Fellowship and worked for six months in California with the FBI and other US Law Enforcement Agencies. In 2001 he gained a diploma in Applied Criminology from Cambridge University.

Mr Murphy will take up his post as Chief Constable of Merseyside Police at a date in the new year when he will take over from Temporary Chief Constable, Bernard Lawson.