Career
He is regarded as one of the first career chief constables in the United Kingdom. Douglas Osmond joined the Metropolitan Police in 1935 where he rose to Inspector before joining the Royal Navy during the Second World War. After the war he returned to the police and was appointed as the chief constable of Shropshire Constabulary (now part of West Mercia Constabulary) in 1946. Equally remarkable was his rise through the ranks at a time when most chief constables were externally appointed.
In 1962 Osmond left to become the chief constable of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary and in 1967 he presided over its amalgamation with the Portsmouth and Southampton city forces.
At this point the force was renamed Hampshire Constabulary and Osmond remained chief constable until his retirement from the post in 1977. He died on 20 April 2006 aged 91.
