Key Personnel
Northern Constabulary's Force Executive comprises;
- Chief Constable Ian Latimer
- Deputy Chief Constable Garry Sutherland
- Chief Superintendent (Head of Operations) Bruce Duncan
- Chief Superintendent (Head of Support Services) Andy Cowie
- Director of Human Resources Andrea Sillars
- Director of Finance and Asset Management Elaine Ward
The Force Executive, which is based at Police Headquarters in Inverness, holds an executive advisory group meeting each Monday to discuss strategic issues and matters of Force policy.
Chief Constable - Ian Latimer
Chief Constable Ian Latimer joined Northern Constabulary in September 2001.
Mr Latimer plays an important role in Policing in Scotland, and in the development of strategic response on both diversity and crime issues.
He has previously served in Devon and Cornwall Constabulary and Merseyside Police.
In addition to his responsibilities within the Highlands and Islands, Mr Latimer has taken the lead nationally on crime issues and maintains a continuing role in the development of ACPOS (Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland) strategy, where he holds the portfolios for Equality and Diversity and for Personnel and Training.
He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in Her Majesty’s 80th Birthday Honours in June 2006
Deputy Chief Constable - Garry Sutherland
Adam Garry Sutherland was born and raised in Caithness and joined Northern Constabulary in 1981 following a short time as a Police Cadet.
He worked on uniformed operational duties in a variety of town and rural postings until he was selected for the Accelerated Promotion Programme in 1990.
He has since risen through the ranks, which have included Chief Inspector in 1997 and also Superintendent within the Performance Service Unit the following year.
In March 2003 he was appointed Deputy Chief Constable.
Head of Operations - Bruce Duncan
Bruce Duncan, who was brought up on the Black Isle, has served as a police officer since 1980, when he took up his first posting at Fort William.
Since then he has served in Dingwall as a Detective Constable, as a Sergeant at Lochmaddy, and Inspector within the Force Project Office, before transferring to Force Headquarters in 1998.
After working for two years within the Community Safety Department, he was appointed as Chief Inspector for Inverness, and became Superintendent and then Area Commander for Inverness in 2002.
In May 2003 he was appointed Chief Superintendent, Head of Operations.
Head of Support Services - Andy Cowie
Born in Edinburgh, Andy Cowie joined the London Metropolitan Police in 1988 and worked in uniform and divisional squad duties at Constable and Sergeant ranks.
In 1994 Andy transferred to Northern Constabulary serving uniform roles in Inverness and Aviemore. He carried out the role of Emergency Planning Officer and as project leader in a number of projects at Police Headquarters.
In 2003, he was promoted to Chief Inspector and took on the post of Area Commander for Shetland. Three years later he was promoted to the post of Superintendent as the Divisonal Commander of East Division.
As of June 2009 Andy was appointed Chief Superintendent, Head of Support Services.
Director of Finance and Asset Management - Elaine Ward
Elaine Ward was born and educated in Lanarkshire before attending the University of Strathclyde. A member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy Elaine’s career began as a Financial Management Trainee within the National Health Service.
Upon qualifying as an Accountant in 1996 Elaine took up a post with the North of Scotland Water Authority and was involved in many set-up projects following on from Local Government re-organisation.
Elaine then joined Northern Constabulary in 1998 as Budget Accountant and developed an in-house finance team. She was promoted to Director of Finance & Asset Management in January 2008.
Director of Human Resources - Andrea Sillars
Andrea Sillars was brought up and educated in the Highlands, before attending the University of Strathclyde to study for a Honours Degree in Geography and a Masters Degree in Human Resource Management.
In 1994 Andrea returned north and took up employment at Moray College, Elgin, as personnel officer, and undertook additional lecturing work which she later used through her work with Inverness College. She remains on the Board of Management at Inverness College.
Andrea then joined Northern Constabulary in 1996 as a Recruitment and Personnel Advisor, and was responsible for introducing the first Support Staff Job Evaluation Scheme to the Scottish Police Services. She was promoted to Director of Human Resources in 2000.
