Police Scotland officer to retire after almost 30 years’ service

A senior police officer has announced he will stand down after almost 30 years in uniform.

Deputy Chief Constable Malcolm Graham has announced he will retire from Police Scotland on April 8.

He leads the force’s local policing portfolio and has notified the Scottish Police Authority of his intention to retire.

Mr Graham said: “After almost 30 years in policing, including more than 11 as a chief officer, I have decided the time is right to leave Police Scotland and take up new challenges.

“It has been a privilege to serve the people of Scotland as a police officer and I hope to be able to do so in some other capacity in the future.

“I want to thank my colleagues and friends in Police Scotland, in partner agencies, and in communities across the country, for the support they have given me throughout my career.”

Chief Constable Jo Farrell paid tribute to Mr Graham and said: “I want to thank Malcolm for his outstanding leadership throughout a distinguished career defined by integrity and commitment.

“Malcolm has driven high standards of compassion and professionalism in Police Scotland, establishing our major investigations team and enhancing our response to violence against women and girls.

“He played a vital role in the policing response to the Covid pandemic and following the death of Her Majesty The Queen.

“I am hugely grateful for all Malcolm has done for policing and the public and wish him the very best for his retirement.”

Martyn Evans, chair of the Scottish Police Authority, said: “Malcolm Graham has been a highly effective leader fulfilling a range of complex and demanding policing roles over a distinguished 30-year career.

“I am very grateful for his outstanding contribution and support to the authority. He leaves Police Scotland in a stronger position and we wish him well for his next chapter.”

Mr Graham began his policing career in 1995 with Lothian and Borders Police and was an Assistant Chief Constable responsible for tackling major crime and local crime at the inception of Police Scotland in 2013.

He oversaw significant improvements to policing approaches in key areas such as tackling violence against women and girls and non-recent child abuse investigations.

Mr Graham was appointed Deputy Chief Constable in 2019 when he took on the remit of crime and operational support, where he was responsible for specialist policing functions including major crime investigations and major incident response.

He also led the policing response to the Covid 19 pandemic and the policing operation for the Queen’s funeral.

He moved to the local policing portfolio in March 2023, where he is responsible for community policing across Scotland; criminal justice; partnerships; and contact, command and control.

In November 2023, Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor announced she would retire next month.

The Scottish Police Authority is currently recruiting for her replacement and will consider whether a separate process is necessary to replace Mr Graham.