Special Constabulary Chief Officer Ryan Howell

Special Constabulary Chief Officer Ryan Howell took up post in February 2022.

Ryan began his policing career in 2005 when he joined Gloucestershire Constabulary as a special constable. He then joined West Midlands Police as a crime scene investigator (CSI) in 2009, where he began his career in police forensics.

He worked in Birmingham city centre as a CSI while continuing to commute to Gloucestershire to perform his duties as a special constable.

After demonstrating his competency for independent patrol status, he was later promoted to Section Officer. Ryan led policing operations across the county and later moved to be one of the very first specialist special constables in the roads policing unit, where he was based until he left in 2019.

In 2015, he moved to Essex Police after being promoted to Senior CSI based in Harlow, later taking on the position of acting Principal CSI for both Kent Police and Essex Police.

In January 2020, after a short secondment as a subject matter expert to the Transforming Forensics Project, Ryan joined Dorset Police as a Regional Forensic Coordinator.

He has strategic responsibility for the Force CSI teams and is the strategic link with South West Forensics. He holds a number of regional portfolios, including organised rural crime forensics and will soon take the lead on police fire investigation for the region. He also chairs the South West Forensics Regional Reward and Recognition Group.

Ryan’s focus is developing, growing and building the Special Constabulary in Dorset.