John has been a police officer for twenty-six years. He originally joined West Midlands Police in 1988, before transferring to Hampshire Constabulary in 2001 and then more recently as Assistant Chief Constable for Thames Valley Police in July 2010.

During his service he has performed a number of roles in uniform, CID, Special Branch and as a Force Negotiator. As a Chief Superintendent, he was the Police Commander in Portsmouth for three years, before becoming BCU Commander for Operations across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

Initially within Thames Valley he was responsible for the Operations portfolio, which included all aspects of operational planning for large and major events. It also included Firearms, Roads Policing, HQ Operations, Counter Terrorist Wing, Dogs, Horses, Specialist Search and Public Order/CBRN training. He was also responsible for all aspects of Civil Emergency Planning as required under the Civil Contingencies Act. In particular he was the Police Commander for the South East Olympic Torch Relay operation and the Olympic events at Eton Dorney in 2012.

He recently moved to the Crime portfolio, which has responsibility for all aspects of crime investigation within the Thames Valley area, including serious and organised crime, Protecting Vulnerable People, and the intelligence departments that support those efforts. He also has geographic responsibilities for policing within the County of Berkshire.

He is a Firearms, Public Order, Chemical Biological Radiological Nuclear (CBRN) and Counter Terrorist Gold Commander and holds the national CBRN portfolio on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO).

He holds a Bachelor of Law and an MBA.