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]
Sam Warne
Chief Inspector
Chief Inspector Sam Warne leads the Portsmouth district.
Sam has 23 years of policing experience with Hampshire and IOW Constabulary, having joined the force in 2002.
He has worked across the two counties in various front-line roles. These have included roles in Response teams, Neighbourhoods Teams, Custody, as well as serving as a Sergeant and Temporary Inspector on the IOW. Prior to joining the Portsmouth district as a Chief Inspector, Sam has been the district Inspector for Gosport since September 2023.
Having spent many years as a Level 2 Public Order officer providing our policing capability both in force and nationally, Sam is now a Public Order Public Safety Bronze Commander, leading operational delivery for events, protests and football matches.
Sam’s priorities lie with providing an excellent policing service for our communities and victims of crime, as well as working alongside our partners to make a difference for the long term. By working together to target the offenders causing the most harm in our communities, Sam strives to get justice for victims and make our communities safer.
Matt Moss
Chief Inspector
Chief Inspector Matt Moss leads the Havant and East Hampshire districts.
Matt has 24 years policing experience, having joined Hampshire Constabulary in 2001.
He worked in a number of roles and locations across the two counties, including as a response officer and a neighbourhood officer and working in licensing and contact management prior to joining the district. As an inspector, he worked on the Isle of Wight before becoming a ‘Force Incident Manager’ – the duty Inspector in the control room. Matt is also the force tactical lead for our Post Incident Managers.
Prior to joining Havant and East Hampshire districts, Matt was the Chief Inspector for the Triage Hub, which is a part of the Contact Management Department, a position he has held since October 2023.
Matt’s priorities include putting victims at the heart of our investigations, catching as many criminals as possible, and ensuring that our communities feel they are connected to, and can provide input on, the policing of their communities.
Email: [email protected]
Alex Charge
Superintendent
Superintendent Alex Charge is Southampton District Commander.
Alex was appointed to his role in August 2025, having previously worked as the Chief Inspector for Havant and East Hampshire, and before that as District Commander on the Isle of Wight.
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 Public Order / Public Safety Silver Commander.
Alex’s priorities are to tackle crime and offending and provide excellent local policing.
Email: [email protected]
Kerry Owen
Chief Inspector
Chief Inspector Kerry Owen leads Fareham and Gosport districts.
Kerry has worked in policing since 2009, having joined the Metropolitan Police Service as Police Staff. Whilst in the MPS, Kerry worked across various locations and was Public Order and Search trained. For the majority of her policing career, Kerry has worked in front line policing, but also spent some time in the Professional Standards Department.
Having transferred to Hampshire and IOW Constabulary in October 2023, Kerry worked initially in Winnal in the north of the county, before joining the East in Portsmouth.
Kerry brings to Fareham and Gosport a drive to uphold the force priorities and to ensure we remain focused on championing what matters to our victims and to our communities.
Rachel Noble
Chief Inspector
Chief Inspector Rachel Noble leads the Eastleigh district.
Rachel is the District Commander for Eastleigh and is delighted to lead the wonderful teams of officers and staff who serve in this area.
Rachel has worked in many and varied policing teams over her 23 years as a Police Officer and has a real passion for delivering excellent policing in our communities.
Rachel is really keen that we are working with you to understand the challenges that we face, determine the priorities that matter and ensure that we pursue those who are breaking the law and causing harm.
Rachel hopes to see you in community groups, or out on patrol and stresses that her teams will be doing all they can to keep you safe.
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]
Alex Reading
Chief Inspector
Chief Inspector Alex Reading leads the Hart & Rushmoor district.
Alex joined the Force in August 2005, and has spent the majority of his 20-year career in frontline response or neighbourhood teams. He became a Chief Inspector in 2019 and was the District Commander for Havant and East Hants before taking over the management of more than 320 frontline officers in the Eastern area.
Alex has many years of experience as a Public Order Commander, having regularly worked a range of events including festivals, football matches and protests locally, nationally and overseas.
He is a Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Tactical Commander and is the Force lead for Structured and Operational debriefing, helping the Constabulary to constantly learn and improve.
Alex took over as the Hart & Rushmoor District Commander in 2025 and his priorities are to focus on the crimes which cause the most harm and matter most to our communities, including ASB, vehicle crime, burglaries and ensuring that all parts of the two districts are safe areas to work in, live in and visit.
Email: [email protected]
Hayley O'Grady
Chief Inspector Hayley O'Grady leads the Basingstoke district.
Hayley stepped into the world of policing in 2001, beginning her career in the New Forest before spending 21 years working in a variety of roles in Southampton.
She has a broad range of operational experience, including 18 years as a public order officer, and has also worked as a Custody Sergeant and became a Tactical Firearms Commander in 2022.
Hayley joined Basingstoke from neighbouring Test Valley, where she had been District Commander.
She wants to continue targeting and responding to the biggest risks in Basingstoke and Deane and her priorities are to tackle serious violence, sexual offences, domestic abuse and rural crime.
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]
Sharath Ranjan
Chief Inspector
Chief Inspector Sharath Ranjan leads the Test Valley district.
Sharath joined policing in 2013 having worked in hospitality, energy, and IT consulting. He has worked in various frontline roles, including response, neighbourhoods, investigations, and custody. In 2018, Sharath was successful on the Fast Track to Inspector scheme and was formally promoted to the role in 2020.
Between 2019 and 2021, he was the co-chair for the force’s BEAM (support network for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic officers and staff).
Having been promoted to Chief Inspector in 2022, he was Head of Missing Exploited Trafficked Team, Education Partnerships, Child Centred Policing and Youth Offending Team. Sharath joined the Test Valley district in November 2024 as the District Commander.
Email: [email protected]
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