Hannah Bailey – Blue Light Wellbeing
Hannah is a Subject Matter Expert in Mental Health and Wellbeing, working as a Psychotherapist, Trauma Therapist and Wellbeing Coach in private practice at Blue Light Wellbeing. She also delivers public speaking and educational workshops to organisations internationally both in person and online.
Prior to this, she has 15 years’ experience working in frontline policing, including uniform emergency response, CID and Major Crime. Despite many happy and productive years in policing, she also suffered personal setbacks with her mental and physical health, experiencing burnout, PTSD and breast cancer. After leaving the police service and recovering fully, Hannah retrained and developed her own business, Blue Light Wellbeing. She now works daily with individuals and businesses that may be struggling with their own mental health and wellbeing, or those of their teams, through the means of therapy, coaching, training and education.
Hannah therefore offers a unique insight into both the personal and professional aspects of mental health in organisations, helping to build both personal and organisational resilience, and working to best support those who need it. She connects with her audience from a genuine place of understanding their work in high risk, demanding and complex roles, and delivers practical and relevant training to help them improve their own mental health and wellbeing.
Chief Constable Rachel Kearton
Rachel Kearton was appointed as Chief Constable for Suffolk Constabulary in September 2022, having previously served as Deputy Chief Constable since 2018. Rachel joined the Constabulary in September 2015 as Assistant Chief Constable following a career break during which time she worked for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office based in Turkey.
CC Kearton has more than 30 years' policing experience, serving in Hampshire and West Yorkshire Police before joining Northumbria Police in 2007. From 2004 to 2006 Rachel was seconded to the Home Office where she designed and led the Race and Diversity programme, and introduced work-based assessments for sergeants' and inspectors' exams across the country. Rachel is currently the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for Race, Religion & Belief, the Senior Women in Policing network, and Police Sport UK.
Rachel has worked in a variety of roles including Head of Northumbria's Specialist Operations, area policing commander in districts in Northumbria and West Yorkshire, and Head of Northumbria's Corporate Development Department.
Qualified as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, Rachel has a strong interest in people development, and is a qualified co-director and assessor for the national College of Policing assessment centres. She is also a voluntary contributor for the charity Speakers For Schools that seeks to stretch the ambitions of young people.
Fr. Steve Walters
Lead Chaplain to Avon and Somerset Police, and Trustee with PCUK
Steve is the Lead Chaplain for Avon and Somerset Police, a diverse force ranging from urban Bristol to seaside holiday towns, small rural farming communities and of course Glastonbury, which is in a class of its own. He is also a Trustee for Police Chaplaincy UK, and an OK9 dog handler.
Prior to this post, Steve was a volunteer chaplain with West Midlands Police for 9 years, and back in the depths of time a Special Constable with Bedfordshire and then Warwickshire Police. He has also been a pub landlord, a postman and worked at Warwick Castle before becoming a priest and looking after a parish in the Black Country.
As well as the larger faith groups, Glastonbury has 5.7% of it’s population as “other religions”, the highest in the UK, and we have an active Police Pagan Association. Combined with Avon and Somerset Chaplaincy’s role in Welfare Cells, supporting both policing and Local Authorities during major emergencies through a separate multi-faith volunteer group, regular visits to other places of worship within the Force area and at times liaising with other Forces over critical incidents, and an understanding of how to support others whilst remaining true to your own faith is essential. Whether it be leading the Prayer for the Royal Family in an Orthodox Synagogue, speaking to a Mosque at Friday prayers or attending the Beltane celebrations in Glastonbury, the events need to be navigated with love, support and respect.
Professor John Harrison
Avon & Somerset Police
Professor Harrison is the National Police Chief Medical Officer for England and Wales based in the College of Policing. Between 2014 and 2021 he was Chief Medical Officer for Devon and Cornwall Police and strategic health and wellbeing lead for the Alliance with Dorset Police. He was Clinical Director of Organisational Health and Wellbeing at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (2003 – 2014) and Senior Lecturer in Occupational Medicine / Consultant Occupational Physician at the University of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne (1990 – 2003). He has held positions as Director NHS Plus/advisor to the Health and Work team of the Department of Health and Head of the National School for Occupational Health of England and Wales. He is an Associate Professor at Brunel University in clinical organisational development. Previously he was Academic Dean of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, a board member of ICOH and a past Chairman of EASOM.
DCC Ben Snuggs
Ben serves as Deputy Chief Constable at Thames Valley Police, a role he has held since 6 April 2023. Prior to this appointment, he was Deputy Chief Constable at Hampshire Constabulary from September 2021. Alongside his operational leadership, Ben also holds the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) portfolio for Police Chaplaincy, reflecting his commitment to supporting the welfare and pastoral care of officers and staff.
Recognised for his distinguished service, Ben was awarded the King’s Police Medal in the New Year Honours 2024. A career detective, he has accumulated extensive experience across policing, progressing to chief officer rank in 2017. He served as Assistant Chief Constable (Operations), with responsibility for the Joint Operations Unit and Contact Management across both Hampshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Police. Before that, he held the portfolio for Crime, Criminal Justice, and Intelligence within Hampshire Constabulary.
At a national level, Ben plays a significant leadership role in several specialist areas. He chairs the Forensic Information Database Services (FINDS) Strategy Board on behalf of the NPCC, overseeing critical forensic data capabilities. He is also the national lead for Hostage and Crisis Negotiation, drawing on eight years’ personal experience as a negotiator.
Ben further contributes to policing innovation as Chair of the National Science and Innovation Board (NSIB), supporting the development of a modern, evidence-based approach to policing through science and technology.
Academically, Ben is a graduate of the FBI National Academy. He holds a Law and Criminology degree (LL.B) and a Master’s Degree in Police Leadership and Management (MSc), underpinning his professional expertise with strong academic foundations.
Revd Matthew Hopley
Rev. Matthew Hopley serves as the National Police Chaplain, supporting UK policing through the National Police Chiefs’ Council and in his role as Chief Executive Officer of Police Chaplaincy UK. His chaplaincy journey began as a volunteer with West Midlands Police, where he developed a deep commitment to offering pastoral care to officers, staff, and volunteers across the policing environment.
In 2019, Matthew was appointed Lead Chaplain for Warwickshire Police, providing leadership to the chaplaincy team while continuing his ordained ministry within the local church. Alongside this, he served as a trustee of Police Chaplaincy UK, contributing to national discussions on wellbeing, ethics, and the future development of chaplaincy within policing.
Following several years of national leadership involvement, Matthew was appointed National Police Chaplain, a role he has held for over three years. In this capacity, he is leading the ongoing rejuvenation of police chaplaincy across the UK, working closely with police leaders, chaplains, and partner organisations to strengthen pastoral provision and enhance wellbeing support throughout policing.
A key milestone in his leadership has been the introduction of the Gold Standards for Police Chaplaincy. These six standards establish a clear and consistent framework for high-quality, inclusive, and effective multifaith chaplaincy provision across all forces. They set shared expectations and articulate a common vision, ensuring that officers, staff, and volunteers receive excellent pastoral care.
Matthew lives in Birmingham with his wife, Donna, and their three children. He also serves as a lay pastor in his home church, remaining closely connected to local ministry alongside his national role.
Rabbi Lewis & Iman Nasser Kurdy
Despite their differences, Rabbi Dovid Lewis and Imam Nasser Kurdy MBE continue to speak to one another - and to the world - in good faith. Together they are proving that friendship, empathy and shared humanity can endure even in the most challenging times.
Senior Rabbi, Bowdon Shul
South Manchester Synagogue
Rabbi Dovid Lewis M.A. is a native of Manchester, ordained in Israel in 1999. He began his career founding and running the Jewish Day School of Crimea, before serving as Rabbi in Essex and Newcastle. He has served as Chaplain to hospitals, universities and prisons across the North of England.
n 2017, Rabbi Dovid reached out to the local Muslim community to host a Ramadan Iftar in the Synagogue, establishing the "Abraham's Tent" Forum - a safe space where Jews and Muslims can honestly discuss their feelings, thoughts and fears.
Imam Nasser Kurdy MBE
Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon & Community Leader
Dr Nasser Kurdy, of Jordanian/Syrian heritage, is a consultant orthopaedic surgeon in Manchester, Honorary Lecturer at Manchester University, and Honorary Professor at the University of Salford. He has served as a representative of the Islamic Faith on SACRE.
In September 2017, he was stabbed in an unprovoked attack outside his local mosque. Within a very short space of time, Dr Kurdy found himself forgiving his attacker, and has since dedicated himself to countering hate, extremism, and knife crime.
Martin Bellingham MBA, MSc, BA (Hons), CMRS
Membership Support Director, Police Friendly & Metfriendly
Martin joined the Society in 2019 as Sales and Marketing Director and moved into the role of Membership Support Director in 2022. He has spent most of his working life in financial services, having held senior strategic marketing and insight roles at Nationwide, The Children’s Mutual and AXA the global insurer, where he led the insight function for the U.K. and Ireland.
Prior to moving into financial services, Martin worked at Boots in various strategic marketing roles and before that as research officer at Newcastle City Council. Martin is a Certified Member of the Market Research Society and sits on an advisory board for the Office for National Statistics. He has significant experience in the design and development of large-scale financial solutions, having been involved in the development and roll out of the Child Trust Fund and the Junior ISA.
He passionately believes in the value of improving financial education and understanding for all, having seen first-hand the positive impact this can have on family wellbeing, during his early career in Newcastle, as a trustee of a company pension fund and more recently in his current role working with the UK Police Family.
ACC Jenny Gilmer
Jenny Gilmer joined the Joint Police Reform Team in 2025 on a part time basis with a particular remit around liaison with Welsh forces.
Jenny started her career with British Transport Police in Scotland before moving to London in 2007 where she rose to the rank of Superintendent. On completing the Strategic Command Course in 2018 she joined South Wales Police making Jenny one of the few officers who has served in Scotland, England and Wales.
Whilst Jenny has had a variety of different roles over the years, predominately in uniform policing, her commitment to people, communities and delivering with partners have been constant themes.
In 2023 Jenny led on the national implementation of Right Care Right Person, supporting police forces and partners to reduce the inappropriate attendance of police at incidents involving physical and mental health concerns.
Jenny also leads for NPCC on Courts, CCTV and Community Safety Accreditation Schemes.
Beyond work Jenny loves being outdoors and is passionate about her hobbies of yoga, reading and pottery. Although now happily settled in South Wales with her partner who is also a police officer, she takes the opportunity to return to Scotland whenever her duties permit.
Tiff Lynch
National Chair, Police Federation of England and Wales
Tiff joined Leicestershire Police in 1995. Throughout her policing career, she has specialised in firearms, tactical support and frontline as a general response and beat officer.
Tiff’s Police Federation career started in 2007 with progression to the post of Chair of Leicestershire’s Constables’ Committee (2011-2014); Chair of Leicestershire Police Federation (2014-2018); and National Board member of the Police Federation of England and Wales (2018-present).
Nationally, Tiff has led on conduct and performance and political stakeholder engagement, lobbying for the organisation - with membership and representation always at the core.
Tiff was elected as the Deputy National Chair and assumed office from 1 June 2022. She had been carrying out duties as the Acting National Chair since 19 September 2024 seeking to drive forward the Federation’s priorities and strategy, as well as leading on media, campaigning, and parliamentary engagement.
In June 2025 Tiff was elected as the second female Chair in the Police Federation of England and Wales’ 106-year history.
Counter Terrorisms Policing
We will be joined by colleagues from the UK Counter Terrorism Policing HQ team, who will share inputs about their work including how they work with frontline policing and communities. They will also focus on the significance why this is relevant to chaplains. Counter Terrorism Policing is a collaboration of UK police forces working with the UK intelligence community to help protect the public and national security by preventing, deterring, and investigating terrorist activity. Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) is funded by HM Government to deliver the law enforcement elements of its ‘CONTEST’ Counter Terrorism strategy. This is delivered in collaboration with the 43 police forces of England and Wales, alongside the police services of Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Government’s CONTEST strategy splits the protection of the UK against terrorism into four ‘missions’ – Protect, Prepare, Pursue and Prevent. These are known as the ‘four Ps’. With the ongoing terrorist threat, there has never been a more important time to work with CTP and support their mission to help keep people safe.
Paul Giannasi OBE
Hate Crime Advisor to the National Police Chiefs’ Council
Paul Giannasi is the Hate Crime Advisor to the UK National Police Chiefs’ Council, bringing over 30 years of policing experience to his role. He advises on national hate crime policy and coordinates responses across England and Wales, including oversight of the True Vision reporting platform (www.report-it.org.uk) and the National Online Hate Crime Hub. He is co-author of the national Police Hate Crime Guidance, supporting officers and partners in delivering consistent and effective practice.
From 2007 to 2017, Paul led the cross-government Hate Crime Programme, bringing together government departments and civil society to strengthen the criminal justice response to hate crime. Internationally, he has represented the UK Government for over a decade, sharing best practice and supporting policy development and professional training in developing and post-conflict contexts.
Paul is Chair of Trustees for Communities Against Crimes of Hate, a Staffordshire-based charity supporting victims and building cohesive communities. He is also a Trustee of the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust. His publications include co-editing the Routledge International Handbook on Hate Crime (2014). He was awarded an OBE in 2014 for services to policing, equality, and human rights.
Fiona Merkin
NPCC Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Coordination Committee
Fiona Merkin is a highly experienced learning and development professional with over 25 years’ expertise in leadership development, talent management, organisational transformation, and diversity and inclusion. As a member of the senior management team within the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), she plays a key role in driving the national policing strategy for culture and inclusion, championing an evidence-based approach to building trust, confidence, and legitimacy across policing.
Fiona contributes to the work of the NPCC Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Coordination Committee, which leads and aligns national efforts to embed DEI across all areas of policing. The committee coordinates activity linked to protected characteristics under the Equality Act and ensures DEI principles are integrated across NPCC portfolios and broader policing priorities.
Previously, at the College of Policing, Fiona led major national initiatives to identify and develop future police leaders, including the creation of a Senior Leaders Hub to strengthen the talent pipeline, with a focus on under-represented groups. She has extensive experience in strategic programme leadership, stakeholder engagement at the highest levels, and delivering large-scale change programmes. Fiona is recognised for her ability to build collaborative partnerships, lead multidisciplinary teams, and deliver impactful, high-quality development initiatives that shape the future of policing.
Rev'd Dom Jones
Dom is Chair of Police Chaplaincy UK and Lead Chaplain to Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary, where he has served since 2017. Passionate about the future of chaplaincy within policing, he is committed to helping chaplaincy remain visible, relevant, professional, and rooted in authentic pastoral presence.
As Chair of Police Chaplaincy UK, Dom has been involved in strengthening national support for chaplains, developing training and induction resources, encouraging collaboration between forces, and helping chaplaincy adapt to the changing realities of modern policing. He is particularly passionate about ensuring chaplains feel equipped, valued, and connected, recognising that chaplaincy can sometimes feel both deeply rewarding and quietly isolating.
Dom believes chaplaincy is often found in the ordinary moments — conversations over tea, time spent in parade rooms and custody suites, supporting teams after difficult incidents, and simply being a consistent and trusted presence. His approach combines compassion, humour, honesty, and practicality, with a strong belief that ministry in policing is most effective when relationships come before roles.
Alongside his police chaplaincy work, Dom is also County Chaplain for St John Ambulance Hampshire and serves as a school governor. He is committed to inclusive chaplaincy that supports people of all faiths and none, and is passionate about encouraging chaplaincy that is thoughtful, approachable, and confident in its place at the heart of policing.