Yorkshire chief constable honoured with King's Policing Medal after transforming force

Chief Constable Lee Freeman has been given the honour following a 29 year career within policing which has seen him serve in four forces, before his appointment as Chief Constable for Humberside in May 2017.

During his tenure at the force, he has seen it go from special measures to being one of the top performing forces in the country, graded this year Outstanding at an inspection by His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary & Fire and Rescue Services.

Chief Constable Freeman said: “I am delighted to be included in the New Year’s Honours List for 2023 , knowing that this recognition is a direct reflection of the support, dedication and hard work of all my colleagues who serve with me in Humberside Police. I thank them for their continued support.”

He was born and raised in Grimsby, attending Humberston School and Lindsey Sixth Form, before attending Kingston University, where he received a BSc (Hons) in Sociology.

In January 2019, he was approached by national policing to temporarily lead Cleveland Police as their interim Chief Constable, following the unexpected departure of their Chief Constable. After making it clear that he had would be returning to Humberside, he did so 5 months later and has continued leading Humberside Police since.

Jonathan Evison, the police and crime commissioner for the region, said: “I'd like to congratulate Chief Constable Freeman on this award, it is great recognition of his leadership of Humberside Police during an unprecedented journey of improvement since he took over the force.

“I have known Lee for many years, first in my role as Chair of the Humberside Police and Crime Panel and more recently as Police and Crime Commissioner.

"He has always impressed me with his determination to strive for outstanding performance and maintain close relationships with all employees of the force, which has led to one of the highest morale surveys conducted by the police federation and the recent outstanding review by His Majesty's Inspectorate.

“Lee has created a tangible "Humberside factor" in policing.”