'Northamptonshire Police has been in my blood for 20 years' - Deputy chief constable appointed

As announced on Tuesday (May 6), Ash Tuckley has been formally appointed as deputy chief constable for Northamptonshire Police, following a three-stage selection process at Wotton Hall on Friday (May 2).

Ash, who has worked for Northamptonshire Police for more than 20 years, has served as temporary DCC since June last year, following a shake-up in leadership at the force after the departure of disgraced chief constable, Nick Adderley.

Speaking after this appointment was made public, Ash said: “I’m deeply honoured to be now taking on the dep role in a permanent capacity having temped up for the best part of a year. Northamptonshire Police has been in my blood for more than 20 years and I’m very proud to be taking on this senior role.

“This is a really exciting time for Northamptonshire Police, with the recent publication of the Chief’s Policing Plan for 2025-28 and I look forward to working with him, the rest of the Chief Officer team and the incredible officers and staff within this force to ensure we deliver.”

The DCC role will include responsibility for professional standards and corporate communications, as well as the ability to discharge powers and duties of the chief constable in his absence.

Ash will also hold direct operational accountability for the policing response to crime and major and critical incidents, as well as the day-to-day running of the force.

Ivan Balhatchet was confirmed as the new permanent chief constable in January this year, after holding the position temporarily since October 2023, when an investigation was launched into the misconduct of Nick Adderley. The new top cop said at the time of his appointment that “restoring trust and confidence in the county’s police force is one of his top priorities”.

Chief constable Balhatchet added: “Ash came through what was a very challenging process and I look forward to working even more closely with him. He has done a great job since taking on the dep role in a temporary capacity last year and I know he will continue to support me and the force he has served since he joined policing.

“I’d also like to thank the many colleagues and stakeholder partners who took part in Friday’s process, their contribution has helped to make this a really excellent – but very testing – process for recruiting our most senior leaders.”

According to Northamptonshire Police, Ash joined the force in 2004 and has worked in a range of operational roles including response, neighbourhood policing, and hostage and crisis negotiation.

He joined the force control room as an inspector in 2012 and in 2018 was promoted to head of contact management as a superintendent, before becoming a chief superintendent.

In 2023/24, Ash successfully passed the executive leadership programme before securing the position as assistant chief constable, taking the lead for local policing and specialist operations. He is also the chair of the county's Local Resilience Forum (LRF), a multi-agency partnership which works to identify, plan and prepare for major civil emergencies.