2 / 12
10 Minutes With…
On 6th January 2017, Sam Donaldson spent an hour talking with the
Chief Constable George Hamilton about his work and his faith.
Q. Good afternoon Chief, thanks very much
for your time. You’ve been a police officer for
30 years. What motivated you to join? And
what have been the highlights of your career?
I was brought up with a real respect for the
police, and for law and order. My parents
taught us this from an early age. I also had an
older brother in the police. Influences at home
were very important, even though joining at
the time was a high risk. I really wanted to look
after people and to keep people safe, which
is why when I became Chief Constable it was
easy to communicate this message as my
purpose for the organisation that I had been
given the privilege and responsibility to lead. I
genuinely wanted to protect people and that’s
what makes me tick.
There have been many highlights in my
career; and many difficult times when I have
lost colleagues. Some of the highlights have
been very simple, where I’ve been able to make a real difference in people’s lives. I
remember in particular dealing with a situation where a young person had committed
suicide. I still recall receiving a letter in which the family thanked me for my input and in
particular for demonstrating empathy in their sad and tragic circumstances.
I remember as well dealing with really challenging investigations as a Detective Chief
Inspector and Detective Superintendent. In one case I recall a local District Commander
advising me that the area had been left in a better place than we found it as a result of
how we conducted our investigations. That was encouraging.
I never thought I would be Chief Constable so it was a surprise and that appointment is
an obvious highlight and a real honour to become the Chief Constable.
Q. You’ve been Chief Constable now for nearly three years. What’s a typical day like
for you? What’s the most difficult aspect of your role? What’s your main objective as
Chief Constable?
The great thing about this job is that there’s no such thing as a typical day. The only
constant thing is that difficult and unpredictable challenges arise every day! Most days
I arrive around 7.30 and often leave about 12 hours later. 9 to 5 is usually back to back
meetings so the couple of hours before and after the meetings are necessary for admin
and for thinking time. As an organisation, we are really good at operational matters, the
situations involving disorder and high risk. My role however is to remain as a visionary
Chief Constable George Hamilton
Visit us at
www.cpani.orgor call CPANI helpline on
074 4347 2108