National Coordinator for Operation Hydrant
Richard has been the Director of the National Police Chiefs Council Hydrant Programme (formerly Operation Hydrant) since 2014.
The programme was originally established to coordinate the national response to the rise in reports of non-recent child sexual abuse and to improve policing’s approach to its investigation. In 2015, the Programme was given responsibility for managing the NPCC relationship with the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse and to coordinate the gathering and submission of evidence to the Inquiry. More recently Hydrant extended its remit to develop policing’s strategy across all elements of the child protection and abuse investigation portfolio.
Richard also leads the CSE Taskforce launched by the government in April 2024. Richard was previously a police officer, latterly the Head of Major Crime and Public Protection in South Yorkshire. His police career spanned over 30 years, the majority of which saw him in senior leadership roles within CID.