Chancellor

Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington KStJ QPM DL Hon DCL MPhil CI Mangt FRSA

The University’s Chancellor, Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington, was educated at St Lawrence College, Ramsgate, and Leicester and Southampton Universities. He joined the Metropolitan Police in 1963. He has been Assistant Chief Constable for Hampshire Constabulary, Deputy Chief Constable for Cambridge Constabulary, and Chief Constable at Northumbria Police.

Before rejoining the Metropolitan Police in 1998 as Deputy Commissioner, he was HM Inspector of Constabulary. In 2000 he was appointed as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Lord Stevens has chaired three major Northern Ireland inquiries and the official inquiry into the deaths of Diana, Princess of Wales, and Dodi al-Fayed. As a senior police officer with an international reputation, Lord Stevens has advised the Governments of South Africa, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Qatar and Jamaica on security procedures.

His charity work has been extensive, including leading convoys of medical and other supplies to Romania and to the Polisario front in the Sahara.

During his 41-year career, Lord Stevens received 27 commendations for bravery or skilled detective work, and in 1991 he was awarded the Queen's Police Medal. He was knighted in 2000, and raised to the peerage as Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington at the beginning of 2005.

Lord Stevens was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Civil Law at Northumbria University in 2001.

Lord Stevens of Kirkwhelpington was inaugurated as Chancellor on 28 November 2005. View Inauguration Video