PCC announces preferred candidate for Chief Constable role
Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Gary Godden has named Steve Cooper as his preferred candidate to be the next Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police, subject to a confirmation hearing with the Police and Crime Panel.
Steve is currently Acting Chief Constable at Nottinghamshire Police, having stepped up temporarily from Deputy Police Constable, and has been with the force in a variety of roles since transferring from the Metropolitan Police in 2001.
The Chief Constable is the highest-ranking officer in Nottinghamshire Police and is responsible for the operational delivery of the policing service.
Today’s announcement follows a rigorous selection process by the PCC, which included internal and external stakeholder panels and a final panel interview chaired by the PCC.
Steve will now go before the Nottinghamshire Police and Crime Panel for a confirmation hearing in the new year. Following the hearing, the PCC will then be able to appoint the next Chief Constable.
PCC Godden said: “I am extremely happy to announce Steve Cooper as my preferred candidate to be the next Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police and I am confident he has the skills, experience and drive to lead this force forward on the next steps to becoming an outstanding service.
“Steve will take on the mantle of working closely with me to deliver my Police and Crime Plan – A Safe Nottinghamshire for All – which includes a priority focus on putting communities and victims first, strengthening partnership working and delivering an efficient and effective policing service.
“Steve has a first-class career history and a passion for partnership working and delivering the very best for the public, which really shone through during the rigorous interview process. I am very much looking forward to working with him.”
PCC Godden moved swiftly to find a successor to former Chief Constable Kate Meynell after she announced in October 2025 that she intended to retire in March 2026 following her cancer diagnosis.
He added: “I would like to thank Kate for her service and dedication to Nottinghamshire Police and the progress already made.”
Following the PCC’s announcement, the preferred candidate Steve said: “I am honoured to have been selected as the preferred candidate for appointment as the next Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire Police.
“I want to express my sincere thanks to Chief Constable Kate Meynell for her leadership, support and dedication, which has positioned our force on a strong path forward.
“I look forward to continuing this journey to achieve our shared ambition of being an outstanding police service. We have an incredible workforce, and together, I am confident we will deliver exceptional service to the communities we serve.”
Steve Cooper started his policing career with the Metropolitan Police Service where he worked within both uniform policing, in central London and then again as a Sergeant in Brixton, as well as in Intelligence, as a DC in Special Branch.
He transferred to Nottinghamshire Police in 2001 after meeting his now wife here and was posted to the then ‘A’ Division in Mansfield. He was promoted to Inspector in 2002 and worked in a variety of posts including Response, Neighbourhoods, Source Controller and Criminal Justice as a Chief Inspector.
Steve was promoted to Superintendent in October 2007, responsible for leading operations on the City South area and then appointed as the Deputy Divisional Commander and working with the City Council on Project Aurora.
During his Superintendent posting, he mainly focused on operational policing. He was a Tactical Firearms, Public Order and CBRN Commander for many years and commanded many of the larger events within the city and force.
In 2013, Steve was promoted to Chief Superintendent and Divisional Commander for the City of Nottingham and remained there until 2016 when he was seconded to a regional project prior to attending the Strategic Command Course (SCC).
After the SCC, Steve was lucky enough to stay in force and was promoted to ACC in April 2017, where responsible for leading the Change Programme before being promoted to Deputy Chief Constable in 2022.
He has been Acting Chief Constable since April 2025 during Kate Meynell’s sickness absence.