I’m chief inspector Andy McDonald, and I’ve recently taken up the post of deputy district commander for policing on the Isle of Wight, supporting superintendent Rob Mitchell.

Some of you may already know me from the years I have spent policing the Isle of Wight.

Those of you who do may be wondering where I’ve been for the last couple of years.

In 2023, I was posted to Portsmouth and I have spent the last 16 months leading the teams there.

This was a unique and exciting challenge for me, and I’m pleased to say the policing teams there performed strongly in terms of reducing and solving crime in Portsmouth.

Policing a city like Portsmouth can in some respects be very different to policing the Isle of Wight, simply due to the geography and dynamics of the area.

However, the Isle of Wight still shares similar goals to many areas of the county, such as driving out serious violence and drug-related harm.

During my time in Pompey, I was involved in managing the police’s response to urban street gangs.

The police teams delivering against this were fantastic, however dealing with this kind of threat cannot be achieved by policing alone.

Much of the work was collaborative, with key partners joining forces with police to ensure vulnerable people – whether that be those vulnerable to exploitation, for example – were supported effectively, in addition to the enforcement work carried out by police teams to ensure the individuals causing the greatest harm were dealt with swiftly and robustly.

The approach is very much the same here on the Island – safeguarding the vulnerable, including children, and clamping down on those involved in violence, drugs supply, and other offences that put Isle of Wight residents at risk of harm.

I enjoyed my time in the city and learned a lot, however I am an Island boy born and raised – having attended Medina High School – so it was inevitable that I would return home to continue policing the area I grew up in.

I joined the Constabulary in 2002 after a career in the RAF, and was first posted to Ryde.

I developed a passion for neighbourhood policing, and my favourite role in service was as a local beat officer in East Cowes.

It’s good to be back on the Isle of Wight, and I’m committed to using all of my experience and local knowledge to prioritise delivering exceptional local policing, putting victims first and relentlessly pursuing criminals operating on our Island.