Opening plenary

Update on the Independent Chief Inspector’s Review of Tier 4

John Vine, Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration
We are delighted once again to welcome John Vine as our plenary speaker, to talk about the ongoing Tier 4 review. At the time of the conference John and his colleagues will be mid-way through the process of visiting posts and reviewing evidence. This session will therefore be an opportunity to feed in further comments, as well as hearing more about the process of the review itself.

John Vine is the independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration (formerly titled Indpendent Chief Inspector of the UK Border Agency). He was appointed to his post by the Home Secretary in 2008.

He was previously Chief Constable of Tayside Police in Scotland from 2000 to 2008, during which time crimes of violence fell by 30% and crimes of dishonesty by 40%. He also presided over a 60% decrease in car theft, and in 2005 led the policing operation for the G8 World Leaders’ Summit at Gleneagles.

John joined the West Yorkshire Police fast track programme in 1981. He undertook a number of operational roles before being appointed Commander of the Halifax Division in 1992. He was appointed Assistant Chief Constable of Lancashire Constabulary in 1996, where he assumed responsibility for divisional policing, specialist units and the investigation of major crime.

Mr Vine was President of the Association of Chief Police Officers Scotland in 2003-2004. In 2007, he was appointed as one of two Chief Constable Representatives on the board of the Scottish Police Services Authority (SPSA).

Mr Vine was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for distinguished service and a CBE in the 2007 Queen’s Birthday Honours.

He is married to Christine, a Solicitor, and has three children.