David James Reid Strang is a former senior police officer and public servant from Scotland. He has worked in a number of senior roles in the criminal justice sector, most notably as Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police and Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland.
Early life and education
Strang was born in Glasgow and studied at Glasgow Academy and Loretto School. Keele University, biography for David Strang, accessed 16/12/2011 He then went on to study engineering science at the University of Durham, graduating with a BSc degree, before studying for an MSc degree in organisational behaviour at the University of London.
Police career
Strang began his police career with the Metropolitan Police in 1980. Lothian and Borders, biography for David Strang, accessed 16/12/2011 He was posted to a number of divisions as well as time with Criminal Investigation Department, Territorial Support Group and a secondment to the Police Staff College, Bramshill. After rising to divisional commander of Wembley Division, he left the force in 1998 and was appointed assistant chief constable of Lothian and Borders Police.
In August 2001, Strang was appointed chief constable of Dumfries and Galloway Police. He led a number of initiatives, focusing on alcohol and drug action as well as youth justice and was president of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland during the 2004–2005 year. ACPOS website, Board of Directors, accessed 16/12/2011 On 29 March 2007, he was appointed chief constable of Lothian and Borders Police and served in that role until the force was amalgamated into Police Scotland.
Work with prisons
Strang was a member of the Scottish Prisons Commission which published a report entitled Scotland's Choice in 2008. In 2013, he was appointed as Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons for Scotland in succession to Hugh Munro, a post which he held until 2018. He was subsequently appointed as chair of the Independent Inquiry into Mental Health Services in Tayside. The Independent Inquiry into Mental Health Services in Tayside website, About Us, accessed 18/06/19
Drug Deaths Taskforce Strang was appointed Chair of the Scottish Government's Drugs Death Taskforce in January 2022, following the resignation of Professor Catriona Matheson in December 2021.
Honours and awards
He received the honorary degree of Doctor of the University (DUniv) from the University of Stirling on 23 November 2018. University of Stirling website, Former prisons chief inspector and leading environmentalist to receive honour at Stirling graduation, accessed 18/06/2019
Ribbon Description Notes Order of the British Empire (CBE) Commander Civil Division 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours List For services to law and order Queen's Police Medal (QPM) 2002 Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal 2002 UK version of this medal Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012 UK version of this medal Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal
References
External links Lothian and Borders Police - David Strang QPM BSc MSc