John Parkinson is a former UK Chief Constable with experience of leading investigations into major and serious crime and counter terrorism, including the 7/7 London Bombings enquiry in Leeds. He was head of the NE Counter Terrorism Unit and as UK Senior National Coordinator Counter Terrorism oversaw many national and international counter terrorism operations.
He was awarded the OBE for his services to Policing and Counter Terrorism in 2011 and holds a Master’s Degree in Criminology from Cambridge University where he is now a Visiting Scholar. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Companion of the Institute of Management Specialists, a past President of the global Leadership in Counter Terrorism Alumni Association and is a member of their International Executive Advisory Board.
He has contributed to and edited a number of publications on terrorism and remains passionate about supporting organisations to combat terrorism and organised crime. John is the Chair of a Modern Slavery and Anti-Trafficking Network, a visiting Professor at the University of Huddersfield and Chair of their Secure Societies Institute. He is also a visiting Senior Research Fellow at Sheffield Hallam University and the Chair of CENTRIC (Centre of Excellence for research into Terrorism, Resilience, Intelligence and Organised Crime). He has wide international experience as a strategic policy advisor for security and terrorism issues.
