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Assistant Chief Constable Helen Ball

[image: Assistant Chief Constable Helen Ball]Helen Ball - Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) - Crime and Counter Terrorism

Contact ACC Helen Ball.

Helen Ball is the Assistant Chief Constable (ACC) with the following responsibilities:

• The county of Oxfordshire, comprising the local police areas of Oxford, Cherwell, South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse, and West Oxfordshire.
• The crime portfolio for the Force, including criminal investigations, protecting vulnerable people, intelligence, and specialist operations.
• The counter terrorism portfolio, which includes the management of the South East Counter Terrorism Unit (SECTU).

Helen joined Thames Valley Police in July 2010, from the Metropolitan Police Service. She was with the Metropolitan Police Service for almost 23 years. Before joining the police service in 1987, she took a degree in English Language and Literature at Aberdeen University, trained as a teacher, and worked in publishing.

Helen has undertaken a variety of roles during her police career, including running initial training for new police recruits, carrying out the merger of the Royal Parks Constabulary into the Met, and working in specialist firearms. She trained as a hostage negotiator in 1996 and became a negotiator coordinator in 1998. In January 2007, Helen became head of Trident, the Met unit that prevents and investigates shootings in London.

Helen is married with three grown-up step children.