Borough welcomes new chief inspector on the beat

Chf Insp Doug Black replaces Chf Insp Glen Channer who was in post for the past two years and has gone to the joint Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire Counter Terrorism Unit.

His career started in 1996 as a uniformed PC responding to emergency 999 calls as part of the Intervention team in Stevenage.

Soon after starting the job, he was stopped outside the police station by a man who pulled over in his car who asked him for assistance with his partner who was in labour in the back.

PC Black called for an ambulance and asked his colleagues for help, but the baby would not wait and just minutes later he single-handedly delivered the tot and cared for both mum and baby while a midwife was sent to them in an ambulance.

After five more years of challenges – but no more impatient babies – he then transferred to the Firearms Unit, where he was promoted to sergeant.

After a short spell working back in Intervention and then Custody, he returned to the Firearms team where he was involved in the collaboration of the unit with Bedfordshire Police.

After being promoted to inspector, he spent time leading the Intervention teams in St Albans, before being involved in the implementation of the intelligence units across the county which saw them centralised and restructured.

He then went on to obtain his detective status before leading the Local Crime Unit (CID) in Hatfield and then being promoted to Chief Inspector.

He said: “This is a new role and a new challenge for me, particularly because Dacorum is one of the county’s busiest boroughs in Hertfordshire.

“I’m looking forward to getting to know the area and I am committed to working very closely with communities, partner agencies and others to ensure that we reduce crime, catch those who commit crime in the borough and ultimately keep the community safe.”