New police Divisional Commander for north-east

A new police Divisional Commander has been appointed in the north-east.

Chief Superintendent Graeme Mackie has taken on the role and will be responsible for all local policing in North East Division and its command areas – Aberdeenshire, Aberdeen and Moray.

Chief Superintendent Mackie joined Grampian Police in 1995 and has worked in various uniformed and CID roles across the region including in Aberdeen, Peterhead and Stonehaven.

In 2014 he was promoted to Chief Inspector and the Local Area Commander for Aberdeen City South, which included the city centre of Aberdeen.

Chief Superintendent Mackie served in this role for more than three years, developing and enhancing the partnership working in the city centre and supporting the city achieve Purple Flag status.

In 2017, he was promoted to Detective Superintendent within Police Scotland’s Major Investigation team, overseeing all homicide and major crime investigations across the North East, Highlands and Islands and Tayside.

Superintendent Kate Stephen, previous Divisional Commander, is moving to the national Professional Standards Department (PSD).

Assistant Chief Constable, Emma Bond, said: “I would like to take this chance to thank Superintendent Stephen for the valuable work she has done during her time as Divisional Commander, and the immense support she has been to me.

"She was the first female to take up the post and I know she will be an asset to PSD, supporting an increasingly important area of work in relation to Police Scotland’s values and standards.

“I am also delighted to welcome Chief Superintendent Mackie back to North East Division. He has spent his entire policing career in the North East, most recently working in the Major Investigation Team alongside Division, and has an excellent understanding of the issues impacting our communities.

"Policing in Scotland is not without its challenges currently and I know Chief Superintendent Mackie will be an asset to the command team, bringing his wealth of experience to supporting our local communities and inspiring officers and staff.”

Chief Superintendent Graeme Mackie said: “I am extremely proud to have been appointed as the next Divisional Commander for North East Division, and am committed to building on the excellent work already under way to ensure our communities receive the best service possible.

"For me personally, this is an incredible opportunity to help strengthen the trust and confidence communities have in their police, finding innovative approaches to solving problems and keeping people safe.

“I look forward to supporting the incredible work our officers, staff and volunteers already do on a daily basis and hope to meet with our partners as soon as possible to further strengthen well-established relationships.

"Above all, I look forward to getting to know our communities better and delivering on the priorities you tell us matter to you most.”