An interview with the Chief: Ivan Balhatchet reflects on leading his hometown Force

25 April 2025

“This is my home town, my home county - so I know that everything I do is for the community I live and grew up in.”

Ivan Balhatchet was appointed Chief Constable of Northamptonshire in February 2025, having begun his policing career back in 1997. 

Despite 27 years of service and rising through the ranks in various roles, Ivan says his motivation remains unchanged: “You’re in this life once. I want to leave knowing that I’ve made a difference – and living by that continues to inspire me, even on the hardest days.”

He stepped into the role of Acting Chief Constable in October 2023, following the dismissal of former Chief Nick Adderley.

 

Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet.

 

“I still got butterflies in my stomach, waiting for that call to let me know if I’d successfully got the role of Chief Constable earlier this year,” he says, looking back on the past few months.

“It was a shock when I finally got the call, and it took some time to sink in. It was a rigorous recruitment process, and I had some credible competitors. So I’m definitely proud of myself.”

At just 19, Ivan knew policing was the only career he wanted. Starting in Wiltshire, he moved to Northamptonshire a few years later, holding multiple roles, including those in response, public protection, and community safety. His progression includes detective, detective superintendent, and temporary Assistant Chief Constable in a multiple of detective and uniform roles. Apart from a brief stint of six years with the Metropolitan Police, most of his service has been in his birthplace of Northamptonshire.

Community

“This is my home county, it’s a community – so everything I do is for the community I live in. I know the area, I know the issues here, the history, and I have a very good knowledge of the county,” said Ivan, who is believed to be the first Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable to have worked every rank in the Force and to have been born and raised in the county.

“And I know this will be my last role in policing – and what a privilege that is, to know that I’ll be ending my career in my home town.

“I wouldn’t want to be Chief Constable anywhere else. My aim now is to do right by the public in Northamptonshire and our staff. I want to make this the safest county in the country.”

Police Federation

Ivan works closely with the Police Federation, maintaining regular one-to-ones with branch chair Sam Dobbs and secretary Charlotte Pateman.

“I have regular one-to-ones with both Sam and Charlotte but am also on the other end of the phone if they need to speak to me or raise their concerns. We often debate, we listen to one another, and we discuss,” said Ivan.

“I respect the role of the Federation, and I appreciate their ongoing feedback. I’ll always give my time to the Federation, and I’m open to their challenges.”

A self-described introvert, Ivan admits the role has taken him out of his comfort zone at times.

“I’m a quiet, calm leader. I believe that timing is everything, so I like to think about decisions and make sure they are right. And when they’re not the right decision – I’m comfortable admitting that and learning from my mistakes,” said Ivan, who is committed to rebuilding public trust in policing, with a strong focus on improving vetting procedures within the Force.

Standards

He explained: “We’ve significantly grown the Professional Standards Department (PSD), re-launched more efficient misconduct processes and increased our approved vetting standards. 

“This might cause delays when recruiting, but I would rather we had a Force full of properly vetted officers than let people in who should not have a warrant card slip through the net just to hit recruitment figures. I refuse to compromise on quality here in the Force for the sake of our uplift figures.”

He’s equally dedicated to transparency and accountability: “We have also increased random drug testing internally; we’re looking for patterns in unhealthy behaviour, which is sometimes leading to prevention of promotion; and we’re working closely with internal victims of misogyny and sexual abuse in the workplace.

“I know that the vast majority of officers here in Northamptonshire are fantastic people, wanting to do good. But we can’t ignore the minority who don’t.”

 

“This is my home town, my home county," says new Chief Constable Ivan Balhatchet.

 

Ivan was also asked to be the named the Force’s He For She Lead by the Senior Women’s Forum, a role he sees as vital in showing support to women across all areas of the Force.

Recognising how policing has evolved, Ivan highlights the increasing need for early-career support: “Policing is more complicated, and society brings with it its own issues. When I started the job, my tutor was by my side throughout the entirety of my training. Now, tutors and officers simply don’t have the capacity to do this. That really needs to change.” 

On a local and national front, he stresses the importance of mental health support for officers: “Police officers are nearly always first on the scene. Officers and staff are constantly exposed to trauma – some of whom are responding to seriously traumatic incidents daily. And then, they also support the victims' families – sometimes for months, if not years.”

National Custody Lead

And as the National Custody Lead, Ivan describes Op Safeguard as ‘yet another example of the police stepping up to support the wider Criminal Justice System (CJS)’.

“Despite receiving criticism by the public and the media, officers are constantly expected to react to whatever issues, hurdles and challenges are thrown at them,” he said.

He also reflects on the impact of closing local stations: “I truly believe that we need to increase the visibility of our officers out in the community.
“I appreciate that hub-based units might work in terms of custody, but ultimately, we need officers on the street – and that might mean looking at the wider system.

“I’d never want to replace warranted police officer roles with staff, but I think there’s an opportunity to draw on other roles, like Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and civilian investigators to strengthen our teams. And by doing this, it will give regular officers the breathing space they need to do their job efficiently, which ultimately, will improve the service they are providing to the public.”

Ivan, who has also been the proud head of Honour Based Abuse since 2017, concluded by highlighting his commitment to being an accessible Chief Constable, including the holding of regular online Q&A sessions with staff – the most recent attracting over 200 live viewers. 

He said: “I want to be a visible Chief. After all, I’ve worked in roles where it feels like there’s so much distance between you and the senior team. I don’t want that – I want to lower that barrier. I want our officers to feel comfortable and confident when speaking to me.”

READ MORE: Chair reacts to HMICFRS report.