SoE

The top police Chief in Manchester will join a debate on public trust in the media at the upcoming Society of Editors conference.

Ian Hopkins QPM, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police since 2015, will take part in the debate on trust and accountability Monday 5 November 2018 in Manchester.

Hopkins, who joined Greater Manchester Police in April 2008, was in charge of the force during the Manchester Evening terror attack on 22 May 2017 in which 22 people died. Following the atrocity, the media came under particular scrutiny with the official Kerslake Report into the aftermath of the bombing describing media behaviour as “intrusive and overbearing” with the panel reporting that they were “shocked and dismayed” by reports of press intrusion.

Hopkins will be joining a host of other important names from the media world and elsewhere – such as Paul Dacre, chairman and Editor-in-Chief of Associated Newspapers, Katharine Viner, Editor-in-chief of The Guardian, Amol Rajan, Media Editor at the BBC and Lloyd Embley, Group Editor-in-Chief of Reach plc- to discuss the trust factor at the conference next month.

Ian Murray, Executive Director of the Society of Editors said: “”The Kerslake Report into the aftermath of the terrible Manchester Arena bombing put the media under the spotlight and the industry came in for some criticism, some might say unfairly. It will be interesting to hear from the city’s top police officer on the subject as well as Chief Constable Hopkins’ opinion on what the media can do to improve its image and regain lost faith in the media among the public.

“It is vital that such issues are aired openly if we are to understand and reinforce public trust in the media which is integral to the debate over who will win the Fake News battle that is doing so much harm to our social fabric as a nation.”

Hopkins started his career in Staffordshire Police in 1989 and has served in Northamptonshire and Cheshire Police.   In 2011 he undertook a three-month secondment as syndicate director for the Strategic Command Course.   He was appointed Deputy Chief Constable of GMP in December 2011 with responsibility for Force performance, the Force Change Programme and Corporate Communications.  He was appointed as Chief Constable of GMP in October 2015. Hopkins has an MBA (distinction), Postgraduate Diploma in Operations Management and is a Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.  He is the NPCC lead for Workforce Representation and Diversity.  He is a non-executive Director of the College of Policing, a Trustee of the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund, The Police Treatment Centres, Cash for Kids and the Michael Carrick Foundation.  Ian has also led five volunteer programmes to Ethiopia working with street children and the Ethiopian Police. He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in the Birthday Honours 2016.

The conference will take place on Sunday 4 November and Monday 5 November at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester.

Booking is open and members can take advantage of rates of £549 +VAT for full conference and accommodation. Full conference including accommodation for non-members is £599+VAT. More information on the conference can be found on our Conference page.