Robert John Beckley is a British retired senior police officer, and was the High Sheriff of Somerset from 2024 to 2025. He was seconded as an assistant commissioner from the Metropolitan Police to the Home Office from November 2016 until March 2024 to head the Command Team of Operation Resolve, the investigation into the Hillsborough disaster. He was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in 2007.
Early life Beckley graduated in law from the University of Durham (University College). He spent four years working in development and education in Africa before joining the police.
Career Beckley's first police service was with the Metropolitan Police in Brixton, Southall and New Scotland Yard (1986–1997), in which he rose to the rank of chief inspector, before being promoted to chief superintendent during a subsequent spell in Thames Valley Police (1997–2002). He was then promoted to assistant chief constable just before moving to head Territorial Operations (and later Crime and Operations) in Hertfordshire Police (2002–2007). He later became deputy chief constable of Avon and Somerset Police (2007–2016).
In parallel with these posts, he also held the national portfolio for citizens in policing, and later for counter-terrorism and matters of race and faith. This was followed by time as chief operating officer of the new College of Policing from July 2013 to 2016, after which he was appointed an assistant commissioner in the Metropolitan Police alongside his appointment in Operation Resolve. In April 2018, while seconded to the Home Office, he responded to the investigation into Operation Midland by recommending a move away from police automatically believing victims to one in which victims were reassured they were being listened to.
Beckley served as High Sheriff of Somerset from March 2024 to March 2025.
He actively supports and is a trustee of a number of charities, some local to Somerset, as well as international charities such as the Bishop Tutu Foundation and Project Trust.https://highsheriffsomerset.org.uk/current-high-sheriff/
Honours
Ribbon Description Notes Order of St John Member 2011 Queen's Police Medal (QPM) 2007 Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal 2002 UK version Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal 2012 UK version Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal 2022 UK version King Charles III Coronation Medal 2023 UK version Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal With 30 year service bar
References