Speaker 26th January 2018 Dee Collins -

Chief Constable Dee Collins has been a police officer for 29 years, the majority of which has been in uniformed operational roles.

She joined West Yorkshire Police in January 2014 as Deputy Chief Constable and became Temporary Chief Constable in June 2014. She was appointed Chief Constable in November 2016.

Dee is from Lymm in Cheshire and attended school and university in Manchester, where she gained a BSc Jt Hons in Metallurgy and Mechanical Engineering.

Her policing career started in 1987 with Cleveland Police, where she quickly specialised in roads policing and became their first female armed response officer. Working her way up through the ranks to Superintendent, Dee worked as an operational Sergeant, Inspector and Operations Manager and also gained experience in training, as a Chief Constable’s Staff Officer and in Professional Standards. She was also a Police Federation representative as an Inspector and in 2000 was seconded overseas to Germany where she worked at EXPO 2000 in Hannover.

In August 2005, Dee joined Cumbria Constabulary as Commander of their South Basic Command Unit, leading on policing in Barrow and Kendal, as well as the Lake District National Park areas of Windermere, Ambleside and Coniston. She was also the Force’s gender champion, led on internal staff support matters and was the Branch Secretary of Cumbria Superintendents’ Association. 

Dee joined Derbyshire Police in April 2007 as Assistant Chief Constable Support and held the portfolio for human resources, confidence and equality, contact management and criminal justice.   

In January 2010, she was seconded to the National Police Improvement Agency (NPIA) as a Syndicate Director for the 2010 Strategic Command Course, returning to Derbyshire Constabulary as ACC Operational Support. This portfolio included operational support, contact management, criminal justice, Special Constables and volunteers. Dee also led on firearms, roads policing and air support matters regionally. Nationally she led on age issues and was a member of the National Armed Policing Working Group.

In 2013, Dee was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for her contribution towards British Policing as well as the Annual Award for Mentoring by the British Association of Women in Policing (BAWP) of which she is currently President, and International Association of Women in Policing (IAWP).

As Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police, Dee is the Air Certificate holder for the National Police Air Service, and also oversees Regional Assets including the North East Counter Terrorism Unit, the Regional Organised Crime Unit and the Regional Scientific Support Service. 

She is a keen fitness enthusiast which includes skiing, walking and regular training at the gym.