18 February 2026

Chief inspector who has gone above and beyond for his team receives Dorset Federation Inspecting Rank of the Year Award

A chief inspector who has gone above and beyond for his team, revitalising morale and retention after just a year in the job, has received the Inspecting Rank of the Year Award at the 2026 Dorset Police Federation Recognition Awards.

Danny Thompson became Chief Inspector for Armed and Roads Policing in Dorset just a year ago, but he’s already made a big impression on his teams, who say his leadership style is characterised by accessibility, consistency, and a genuine commitment to staff wellbeing.

One of his nominations was from an officer in the tactical firearms unit (TFU), who said: “Ch Insp Thompson has demonstrated exemplary leadership since assuming responsibility for the TFU. Prior to his appointment, the unit faced significant challenges, including low morale and a high turnover of staff.

“The impact of Ch Insp Thompson’s arrival has been transformative. He operates an open-door policy that fosters trust, communication and inclusion, ensuring that every member of the team feels valued and supported.”

Another colleague said: “Ch Insp Thompson has done his utmost to support every member of the team, inside and out of work. He has pushed recruitment, culture change and attitudes towards firearms officers throughout the force.

“He has worked to ensure that officers can take leave inside of 90 days, a thing that has not been possible for some officers for over a year due to staff shortages.

“He has challenged organisation culture to help push the department forward, resulting in a greater number of deployments and jobs for the teams. He regularly attends the daily briefings with teams in order to keep officers in the loop.”

One of Ch Insp Thompson’s most popular initiatives was during the swelteringly hot summer, when he provided the office with a freezer and personally stocked it with ice creams for officers.

Ch Insp Thompson said: “It's just one of those things that makes a difference, doesn't it? If they can come in, grab a cold snack, it's just one way of looking after people. I get my energy and my enthusiasm from the teams I work with, so I try to repay them in whatever way I can. And this summer, it happened to be ice cream.”

Ch Insp Thompson explained his leadership strategy: “In every command role I've had, I spend time talking to people, getting to know them as individuals and as teams.

“I want to know what they need in order to do their jobs better and be happier, not only as police officers, but as people with lives and families outside policing. It's my job to help them balance their work and their family, so that they can be happy at work and feel that they can achieve everything that they need to.

“That can be little things like making sure that they've got somewhere to keep their kit, keep their food at work, make sure that they don't have to work hours that are too long. And then it can also be structurally. Are we working the right shift patterns? Are we looking after our people when they have to deal with trauma?”

He said he was “bowled over” when he heard he’d won a Federation award: “I had no idea I'd been nominated. I just feel really thrilled, humbled and happy. I'm really touched that my teams appreciate the way I work.”

Dorset Police Federation Chair Chris Wood said: “What a worthy winner Danny is.

“He has shown a huge amount of empathy and understanding for his team members’ challenges, and his enthusiasm and strength of leadership has boosted morale and retention in his units.

“His teams are now more cohesive, motivated and resilient, thanks to Danny. Amazing work.”

Ch Insp Thompson will attend the 2026 Dorset Police Federation Recognition Awards on 26 February.

Dorset Police Federation Recognition Awards are in association with Bluline Health.

Also sponsoring the awards are Accord, Axon, Niche, Uniform Mortgages, Police Mortgages, Warren & Co, Police Friendly, Serve and Protect Credit Union, Philip Williams and No1 Copperpot Credit Union.