Profile
Chief Superintendent
Kate Thomson
Kate Thomson was promoted to Chief Superintendent on 7 January 2011. The chief superintendent role is responsible for all operational policing in the region.
Kate has been with Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary since she joined the force as a Cadet in May 1984. In August of the following year, she was appointed Constable and went on to work in Annan and Langholm.
After four years of beat patrol, Kate moved to Lockerbie, and assisted with investigations following the explosion on Pan Am 103.
In November 1989 Kate was transferred to Dumfries Traffic where she carried out uniformed traffic patrol throughout Dumfries and Galloway. During this time she qualified as a Class 1 driver at the Scottish Police College and also trained as a Security Escort Driver.
During the early months of 1990 she trained and qualified as a firearm officer. Throughout this time she worked as a VIP protection officer and was a member of the firearms team; the squad who respond to firearm incidents.
Kate remained within the Traffic Department until March 1994, when she then was promoted to Sergeant in the Female and Child Unit.
Based within the Criminal Investigations Department, the Unit at that time investigated all incidents of sexual assault and serious or serial child abuse. In January 1997 Kate took up a position within the Dumfries Division to carry out general CID enquiries.
After force restructuring, in April 1997 Kate moved to the newly formed Management Services and given the post of Chief Constable's Staff Officer. This position made her responsible for communication to and from the Chief Constable's Office.
During this time she trained and qualified as a Force Negotiator, a role which she continues to carry out today when required.
After a period of Acting Inspector within the new Family Protection Unit, Kate was promoted to Detective Inspector on April 2000. At that time she was also the given the new position of Force Family Liaison Coordinator.
During this time with the Family Protection Unit, and with the assistance of the local Romania Appeal Project Fund, Kate travelled to Romania on a number of occasions. She worked with other child protection colleagues to provide multi-agency training to police officers, prosecutors, social workers and health professionals. This training was designed to encourage inter-agency working and the legitimate sharing of information both within and between agencies.
In February 2003 Kate then moved to the Complaints and Professional Standards Unit as Acting Chief Inspector and was promoted to Chief Inspector on March 2004. She remained within the Unit until January 2006 when she was promoted to Dumfries Divisional Commander, where she was posted until 2008. Between 2008 and 2011 she was headed up crime management services before she moved into her current role.
