Reflections on the Police Leadership Commission Report

Wednesday, 15 July 2026

Dom Jones

Police Chaplaincy UK

Reflections on the Police Leadership Commission Report

To: Lead Chaplains and Chaplaincy Coordinators

CC: Trustees of Police Chaplaincy UK; DCC Ben Snuggs

15th July 2026

Dear colleagues.

Having reviewed the Police Leadership Commission report, Professionalism and Performance: Police Leadership for the Future, I was struck by the extent to which many of its findings and recommendations resonate with the work of Police Chaplaincy. While chaplaincy is not specifically referenced, there are numerous areas where our contribution aligns with the report's vision for the future of policing. In many respects, the report appears to reinforce values and practices that are already embedded within the Police Chaplaincy UK Gold Standards.

The report presents a stark assessment that leadership across policing is inconsistent and that there has been decades of underinvestment in leadership development. It argues for a fundamental overhaul of how police leaders are developed, supported and equipped for increasingly complex responsibilities (pages 8–12).

One area that particularly caught my attention was the report's emphasis on ethical leadership. In Chapter 4, the Commission recommends a stronger national approach to ethics, greater support for ethics forums and the development of ethical and inclusive policing (pages. 52–55). As chaplains, we have long supported officers, staff and leaders in navigating moral and ethical dilemmas. This aligns directly with the Police Chaplaincy UK Gold Standards, which recognise the chaplain's role in providing opportunities for reflection, supporting ethical decision-making and helping individuals consider the wider human impact of their actions.

The report also recognises the need for leaders who can exercise sound judgement in increasingly challenging circumstances. In the Foreword, the Commission argues for less bureaucracy and greater trust in professional judgement whilst recognising the need for leaders of strong character and capability (page 9).

Chaplaincy has an important role to play in helping people reflect on the values that underpin such judgement. Conversations about integrity, courage, compassion, service, humility and accountability are often at the heart of effective chaplaincy engagement.

Another significant theme is the need to support people throughout their leadership journey. Chapter 10 places considerable emphasis on leadership development, continuing professional development, leadership communities and creating space for learning and reflection (pages 92–100). Whilst chaplains are not leadership trainers in the traditional sense, we regularly provide space for reflection, encouragement and challenge.

The Commission also acknowledges the intense pressures facing policing, including increasing complexity, public scrutiny and the demands placed upon leaders at every level (pages 8–10 and 28–40). This has obvious links to chaplaincy's pastoral and wellbeing role.

The report's focus on representation, inclusion, fairness and public trust resonated with me (pages 52–55). As chaplains we have long sought to provide support that is available to everyone, regardless of faith, belief, background or role and continue to demonstrate our reach and support. The report repeatedly reminds us of our Gold Standards, particularly concerning pastoral care, visible presence, ethical support, independent friendship, community engagement and promoting wellbeing.

The report therefore presents a significant opportunity for Police Chaplaincy. Whilst our primary purpose remains the pastoral care and support of the policing family, this report reinforces that chaplaincy has a valuable contribution to make beyond welfare alone. Ethical decision-making, reflective practice, leadership resilience, organisational culture, community engagement and values-based leadership are all central themes within the Commission's vision for the future of policing and closely reflect the principles contained within the Police Chaplaincy UK Gold Standards, particularly the sections of the report dealing with the definition of leadership (pages 41–44), ethics and inclusion (pages 52–55), and leadership development (pages 92–100).

Many Lead Chaplains are already actively engaged in a number of these areas, contributing to ethics committees, leadership development programmes, wellbeing boards, organisational culture discussions and strategic conversations within their forces. The opportunity now is to build on this excellent work and help more forces recognise the value that chaplaincy can bring.

As Lead Chaplains, I would encourage you to use this report as a catalyst for conversations with chief officers, senior leadership teams and key stakeholders, demonstrating how chaplaincy can support the development of ethical, compassionate, resilient and trusted leadership. In many respects, the report highlights areas in which chaplaincy has been quietly adding value for many years; our challenge now is to ensure that our contribution is more widely recognised, better understood and fully utilised across policing.

As Lead Chaplains, I would encourage you to review the report and consider how its findings may be used constructively within your own forces. There is an opportunity to engage with chief officers, leadership teams, ethics committees, wellbeing boards and learning and development departments, helping them recognise that chaplaincy is already contributing to many of the areas identified as priorities for the future of policing.

The report calls for leaders who are ethically grounded, reflective, inclusive, resilient and trusted. These are qualities that chaplaincy has sought to encourage for many years. As a national chaplaincy community, we should be confident in articulating our contribution to these areas and in demonstrating how chaplaincy can support the development of healthy leadership cultures across policing.

I would encourage Lead Chaplains to consider how the report's themes might be reflected in conversations with senior leaders and force chaplaincy teams. This presents an opportunity not only to support the leadership agenda within policing but also to further embed chaplaincy as a valued partner in the development of ethical, compassionate and effective leadership.

I welcome your thoughts and look forward to learning how these themes resonate within your own forces.

You can download a copy of the full report below

Your sincerely,

Matthew

Rev. Matthew Hopley,

National Police Chaplain,

CEO Police Chaplaincy UK

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National Chaplain Commissioned

Wednesday, 28 February 2024

Dom Jones

Police Chaplaincy UK

The National Chaplain for Police Chaplaincy UK & the National Police Chiefs Council was commissioned during a service attended by over 200 people on Saturday 24^th Feb.

Dignitaries including The Deputy Lieutenant, Sir David Thompson and the High Sherriff, Chaplains from across UK policing and senior police officers gathered at ‘Trinity @ Birmingham’ Church to formally welcome The Reverend Matthew Hopley into his new role.

Police chaplaincy UK’s vision is ‘Bringing Chaplaincy to the heart of policing’. Our multifaith chaplains do this through building relationships with officers, staff and volunteers in various ways, Chaplains have the privilege to walk alongside people during the most difficult times of life and service and walk with them in times of celebration. The commissioning of the new National Chaplains marked a new chapter in the story of police chaplaincy.

The commissioning began with the Chair of Police Chaplaincy UK, Rev’d Dom Jones giving the Charge to Matt.

Chaplains are called to be servants and shepherds among the people to whom they are sent this Charge sets out the formal expectations of what you Matt, the National Police Chaplain is expected to do, and how you will conduct yourself

After which Chaplains from different faiths and all those gathered came forward in an act of Unity to light a candle forming a heart, representing the love and care chaplains show to those they serve.

The service featured hymns and songs played by the West Midlands Police Brass Band and the church worship team.

As the service progressed the Chief Constable of Matt’s sending Force spoke enthusiastically about the support Matt had given her and her officers whist he was Lead Chaplain in Warwickshire police and finally before Matt formally accepted the role the National Police Chiefs Council Lead for Chaplaincy, Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth received Matt into the role.

The National Police Chiefs' Council, and Police Chaplaincy UK are pleased to confirm that after the thorough recruitment process, subsequent eligibility checks, that Reverend Matthew Hopley has accepted and commenced the post.

On behalf of the NPCC and College of Policing I am delighted to received Rev Hopley (Matt) as our new National Police Chaplain. I know that he will support our policing code of ethics and help us serve our communities with courage.

The service concluded with the police prayer and cake was served for all to enjoy afterwards.

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New Year, New Chapter

Friday, 12 January 2024

Dom Jones

Police Chaplaincy UK

New year, New Chapter.

Firstly ‘Happy New Year’ to each of you as we launch into this new chapter with Police Chaplaincy UK.

This week PCUK Chair Dom Jones and I met with Deputy Chief Constable Maggie Blyth at the College of Policing (CoP) where DCC Blyth is now in post as the College’s Deputy CEO. Maggie remains our National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) lead and very much an advocate for all that you do in Chaplaincy.

I wanted to take a few minutes to share a little bit about what coming up in the next few months, a bit about me, and to say a few ‘thank yous’.

‘Thank you’ to Dom Jones.

Many of you will know that by day, our PCUK Chair Dom, is also the Lead Chaplain to Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary. Dom has operated as the interim National Police Chaplain (NPC) since David Wilbraham left the post last year and has also led on securing the post of the new NPC with the NPCC which is the highest level within policing, along with the recruitment for the post. Dom, on behalf of the board and all the Chaplains from across policing, we want to thank you for your dedication and persistence in getting the NPC post secured at NPCC level, and for all your efforts over the recent month whilst holding the NPC post. We all very much appreciate what you have done.

Another ‘thank you’ to each of you!

‘Thank you’ to those who have been active over the Christmas and New Year period. It can be a strange time of the year for many officers and staff as they juggle work, home life and all the societal issues that seem to be magnified over this period. I am positive that your encouragement and presence will have made a positive impact. We know that there is a personal commitment from you to be present at these precious times, but it’s not gone unnoticed.

A bit about me...

I’m really pleased to have officially started this week as the NPC. As a way of a bit of an intro, I have been involved with Police Chaplaincy for over 12 years. I started out as a Volunteer with West Midlands Police and then went onto lead the Chaplaincy team at Warwickshire. For those who have made it to any of the conferences over recent years, we may well have met, or indeed on some of those PCUK zoom calls back in Covid!

I have been on staff at an Assemblies of God (AoG) Church in Birmingham, now called Trinity Church, also for 12 years. Although I have left that staff team, I will still be involved as a Pastor on a lesser scale, supporting the senior leaders with preaching and leading services as required. I’m married to Donna and we have three children. Two sons, who have finished in education, and a daughter who is in her GCSE exams year! We still live in Birmingham and are blessed to have a great friendship circle around us who cheer us on in both of our ministries and pray for us too.

So what’s in store for this new chapter?

I have presented a 3 year vision plan to the NPCC, PCUK board of trustees, and to the lead Chaplains at our gathering last year. It is called our ‘3D Mission’ and I’m looking forward to sharing more about the details of that in the coming months. The top line information for us all for now, is there are three stages that we will move through over the coming three years.

For this first 12 months, we will work to DEVELOP chaplaincy. This we come from understanding where each force is at with their chaplaincy provision. This will mean that I will get to come and meet with many of you at your respective forces, along with your lead chaplains and stakeholder senior officer. As PCUK gather a greater understanding of the width and breadth of our provision, we can then develop tools, ways of working, and good practice that will help us collectively increase our abilities to serve those we care for.

Year two will be the DELIVER year, where the good practices and initiatives identified, or the new tools and processes required can be rolled out. Year three leads us to DEEPEN what we had identified and delivered on. In year three we will evaluate how deep the routes are of what we have delivered ensuring they can continue to grow. It will be a year of evaluation too, where we can demonstrate the advances we have collectively made as we strive to serve the officers, staff and volunteers of our forces.

In the coming weeks you will start to hear about the engagement within the College and at NPCC level as we also strive to imbed Chaplaincy long term into the heart of policing. Likewise, there will be communications sent out to all Chief Officers as we engage from the top too.

Lastly, please keep a look out for further communications from PCUK about this year’s training conference. It is set to be a brilliant time together.

Looking forward to serving alongside you as we press on with bringing Chaplaincy to the heart of Policing.

Matthew

Summer Training Conference

24th June - 26 June 2024

Yarnfield Park Training & Conference Centre, Yarnfield Park, Yarnfield, Stone ST15 0NL

Bookings Open Early 2004

Contact Matthew

Matt can be contacted through the Police Chaplaincy UK Website

Or you can This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.him direct

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Vacancy: National Police Chaplain

Wednesday, 21 June 2023

Dom Jones

Police Chaplaincy UK

National Police Chaplain
Could you or someone you know help shape the future of Police Chaplaincy?

We are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity to join Police Chaplaincy UK and the National Police Chief's Council as the National Police Chaplain. We are looking for an experienced and compassionate chaplain who can provide support to our police officers and staff across the country.

As the National Police Chaplain, you will be responsible for coordinating and helping to provide emotional and spiritual support to our police officers and staff. You will work closely with police forces and police chaplaincies across the country, providing guidance and assistance during good times and bad.

The National Chaplain will be the voice for Police Chaplains nationally and be our biggest cheerleader developing an ambassadorial role attending key functions, providing a strong visible presence alongside building strong links with a wide range of groups, staff support networks and external organisations and Chief Policing bodies and at Chief Officer level.

You will also be responsible for developing and delivering training programs, providing advice on faith and belief issues, and promoting a culture of diversity and inclusion within our police forces.

To be successful in this role, you must have strong communication skills, be able to work well under pressure, and have a deep commitment to helping others. You must also be a member of a recognised faith group and hold a relevant qualification in theology or pastoral care.

In return, we offer a competitive salary, excellent benefits, and the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of our police officers and staff.

If you are interested in joining our team as the National Police Chaplain, please apply today.

We look forward to hearing from you.

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National Police Chaplain

Friday, 10 February 2017

Dom Jones

Police Chaplaincy UK

Last year a bid was made to Police and Crime Commissioners for funding to support the rôle of National Police Chaplain as a dedicated resource for police chaplaincy across England & Wales. Following a long and protracted process that was frustrated by the PCC elections last year, the bid was successful, and funding has been secured for a period of five years. The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) is now looking to the Board of Police Chaplaincy UK (NACP), as representing police chaplains across England and Wales, to nominate the person they think should fulfil this rôle.

It would be the Board’s intention, subject to any other expressions of interest, that Canon David Wilbraham, who has been (unpaid) National Police Chaplain for the past six years should continue in this rôle for a further fixed period of five years. As you are aware, David has fulfilled this role in addition to his position as Lead Chaplain for Thames Valley Police.

Expressions of interest from others who may wish to be considered for this strategic rôle should be notified to the undersigned by Friday 24 February 2017.

Whilst this development and the establishment of Police Chaplain UK (as the successor to NACP) are separate projects, there are clearly strong links between the two. The National Police Chaplain will function, in essence, as the Chief Executive of our organisation, and will be accountable to the Board of Police Chaplaincy UK, which will act on behalf of the APCC in this regard.

Canon Adrian Gatrill