Local commanders
Meet the senior police officers leading your local areas.
Our policing area covers 1,500 square miles of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, and has been split into individual areas. Each of these areas is led by a local commander, who works to make communities safer.
Rob Mitchell
Superintendent
Superintendent Rob Mitchell leads the Isle of Wight district.
Rob is an experienced police officer who started his career with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary in 1997.
With his most recent appointment to the Isle of Wight, he brings a wealth of knowledge, enthusiasm and expertise, having held a number of senior positions within the Constabulary. He has previously been appointed Head of Custody, in addition to taking on the roles of District Commander for the New Forest, and Deputy Commander for Portsmouth.
These command roles have enabled him to develop a strong understanding of neighbourhood policing issues, and the importance of working with partner agencies to deliver a service that makes communities safer.
Supt Mitchell considers it an honour and privilege to lead policing on the Isle of Wight, and is committed to working tirelessly to deliver on his priorities. This includes building upon the excellent partnerships that already exist on the Isle of Wight, and delivering a better public service by tackling crime trends, and identifying and protecting the most vulnerable members of our community.
Email: [email protected]
Paul Markham
Superintendent
Superintendent Paul Markham is the District Commander for Portsmouth.
Paul joined Portsmouth district in February 2022 having previously been the District Commander for the New Forest and the Chief Inspector in charge of our Response and Patrol teams. Paul was also the Bronze Commander for Hampshire Constabulary’s response to Covid-19.
Paul’s priorities are to tackle crime and offending and to protect the most vulnerable members of the community.
Email: [email protected]
Fifi Gulam-Husan
Chief Inspector
Chief Inspector Fifi Gulam-Husan leads the Portsmouth district.
Fifi started in the Metropolitan Police in 2003 and went on to work for two years with Nottinghamshire Police, before coming to Hampshire and IOW Constabulary in 2022.
Prior to becoming Chief Inspector for Portsmouth, she has served as the District Commander for Fareham & Gosport, and recently worked in Digital Intelligence & Investigation.
Frontline policing is where Fifi has always wanted to be, and she strives to be constantly improving how we serve our communities and ensuring we remain committed to upholding policing principles.
Fifi’s aim is to support and empower the teams in Portsmouth to deliver the highest standards of service and safety to those who live, work in and visit the City.
Email: [email protected]
Sarah Nicholson
Chief Inspector
Chief Inspector Sarah Nicholson leads the Portsmouth district.
CI Sarah Nicholson has served as a Police Officer in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight for 23 years working in various roles across the force.
In most recent years she has been a Sector Inspector in Southampton Neighbourhoods Team and Partnership and Problem Solving Inspector, leading the Violent Crime Taskforce and Anti Social Behaviour and Education Partnerships Teams.
In the latter role, she worked with the Violence Reduction Unit in the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner as the Force Tactical Lead for Serious Violence and Knife Crime, working in partnership to tackle violence through enforcement, engagement and diversion.
Sarah served as a Sergeant in Southsea a number of years ago and is passionate about working with all of the Policing Teams across the City to deliver exceptional Local Policing, addressing the needs of the community and working with partners to jointly problem solve issues.
Email: [email protected]
Alex Charge
Chief Inspector
Chief Inspector Alex Charge leads the Havant and East Hampshire districts.
Alex was appointed to his role in October 2024 having previously worked as the District Commander on the Isle of Wight for three years.
He was previously Head of Firearms Training for Hampshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Police Joint Operations Unit including responsibility for the South East Regional Counter Terrorist Firearms Teams.
He joined Hampshire and IOW Constabulary in 1998 and has worked in various uniformed operational roles in Portsmouth and Southampton and in Specialist Public Order. He was also chair of Hampshire Police Federation for two years.
He is a qualified Tactical Firearms and CBRN Commander, Post Incident Manager and is currently working towards qualifying as a Public Order / Public Safety Silver Commander.
Alex’s priorities are to tackle crime and offending and provide excellent local policing.
Email: [email protected]
Phil Lamb
Superintendent
Superintendent Phil Lamb is the district commander for Southampton.
Phil was appointed to his role in October 2022 having previously worked as the Director of Intelligence and Head of Resourcing. He was previously deputy district commander in Southampton and has worked in the city throughout his policing career. Phil joined Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary in 2000 and has worked across response and neighbourhood policing, firearms command, was seconded with HMICFRS and more recently led our response and operations during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Working with the strong partnerships in Southampton, Phil’s priorities are to focus on delivering excellent local policing, putting victims first and relentlessly pursuing criminals causing our communities the most harm.
Email: [email protected]
Marcus Kennedy
Chief Inspector
Chief Inspector Marcus Kennedy leads the Fareham & Gosport districts.
Marcus comes with 20 years’ experience of Policing in Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary. He has worked across Portsmouth, Southampton and some our more rural areas, resulting in an ability to understand local communities and their needs.
Having been raised on the South Coast, Marcus is passionate about policing in the East of Hampshire and has genuine connections to the communities of Fareham and Gosport.
Marcus has extensive experience in the public order arena, having worked at multiple events including football matches, festivals and protests, not just in Hampshire but across the country.
As a leader in policing Marcus believes that it is vitally important that we listen to victims and our communities, to understand what is important to them and react accordingly. He has very little tolerance for those that make others’ lives a misery through criminality, directing his teams to be robust when dealing with these individuals.
Email: [email protected]
Matt Paling
Chief Inspector
Chief Inspector Matt Paling leads the Eastleigh district.
Matt has served in a number of roles across HIOW Constabulary over the past 20 years, including local policing and on the JOU as a firearms officer both in operational and command roles. Most recently, he was a Force Incident Manager in the Control room.
He arrived as Eastleigh District Commander in June 2023, and through effective engagement with partners and the community, Matt focuses on the areas of most concern.
Matt has a clear vision in line with the Force Priorities, and his team will be relentless in their pursuit of criminals, putting victims first and provide exceptional local policing.
Email: [email protected]
Scott Johnson
Chief Inspector for the New Forest
Scott has more than 27 years’ experience having joined Hampshire Constabulary in 1997.
He has worked a broad range of roles and locations local policing, and worked in our control room as a Force Incident Manager and Tactical Firearms Commander. Scott is a long standing member of the force Negotiator team and member of the force LGBT+ staff network.
Prior to joining the New Forest district, Scott held the same position as District Commander for over two years in the Basingstoke district between May 2022 and September 2024.
Scott's priorities are to continue to work in partnership with local partners and community groups tackle rural acquisitive crime and shoplifting.
Email: [email protected]
Gillian Cox
Chief Inspector
Chief Inspector Gillian Cox leads Hart & Rushmoor district.
Gillian joined the Force in September 2003, beginning her 20-year career in Basingstoke, where she spent 12 years.
She became a Chief Inspector in 2022 and was responsible for managing approximately 300 frontline Response & Patrol officers across five different sites.
Gillian was promoted to the role of the Hart & Rushmoor District Commander in 2023 and has supported her teams through organisational change.
Her priorities are to continue investigating vehicle crime, burglaries and shoplifting and business crimes to ensure every part of the district is a safe area for those that work, live and visit.
Email: [email protected]
Hayley O'Grady
Temporary Chief Inspector Hayley O'Grady leads the Test Valley district.
Hayley joined Hampshire in October 2001 and started her career as a PC in Ringwood.
She quickly moved on to policing Southampton district as a frontline officer, until coming to Test Valley as the district commander in January 2023, following the retirement of C/Insp Kory Thorne.
Hayley has experience within public order and tackling the highest harm offending.
Her priorities are to target offenders who cause the most significant impact on our communities, to build strong partnerships, to support and protect vulnerable people and to continue to improve the service delivered to the public.
Email: [email protected]
Korine Bishop
Chief Inspector
Chief Inspector Korine Bishop leads the Winchester district.
Korine was appointed as the District Commander for Winchester in June 2023. She has 26 years’ experience in policing, in both City and Rural areas, starting her career in the Metropolitan Police in 1997 before transferring to Hampshire in 2000.
She has strong partnership links not only with Hampshire but across the whole UK which is assisted by her leading on equine crime for the country. Korine is passionate about community engagement and runs the Duke of Edinburgh scheme for police cadets within force.
Korine’s priorities are to tackle crime and offending and to protect the vulnerable members of the community by working closely with partners.
Email: [email protected]
Please do not report crime directly to local commanders
Please report crime by calling 101 or using the online reporting facility. If it's an emergency dial 999.