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James Gamble, QPM (born November 1959) is a British former police officer and head of Belfast region for the now disbanded RUC Special Branch.
Jim Gamble | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | November 1959 (age 64) Bangor, Northern Ireland |
| Occupation | CEO of INEQE Safeguarding Group |
Gamble was the head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (CEOP) Centre in the United Kingdom until 2010, and is now CEO of the INEQE Safeguarding Group.[1]
Career
editRUC Special Branch
editGamble's father was in the Royal Air Force. Before joining the Royal Ulster Constabulary as a constable, Gamble served in the Royal Military Police.[2] Early in his career he was head of the controversial Royal Ulster Constabulary anti-terrorist intelligence unit in Belfast, then Deputy Director General (with the rank of deputy chief constable) of the National Crime Squad, which in April 2006, merged into the Serious Organised Crime Agency. He was also the head of the Belfast Region of the RUC Special Branch.[3]
Application to lead PSNI
editIn 2009, Hugh Orde resigned as Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable.[4] Gamble applied for the position, which he stated was his primary goal, but was eventually unsuccessful with the position being filled by Matt Baggott, the former chief constable of Leicestershire who was the successful candidate.[5]
Gamble stated that he believed his background as an RUC Special Branch officer may have been a factor in why he was not selected for the role and that his RUC background may have been "unhelpful and perhaps unhealthy for the service".[4][6]
National Criminal Intelligence Service
editGamble led the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) fight against child sex abuse. He also presided over Operation Ore.[7] He led the work to set up the National Crime Squad's specialist response cell – the Paedophile and Online Investigation Team (POLIT). He was awarded the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) in the 2008 New Year Honours.[8]
Gamble was a co-author on the UK's first Domestic Homicide Review (Pemberton) and in 2010 was appointed by the then Home Secretary to lead the initial scoping review of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.[9]
Gamble resigned as CEO of CEOP in October 2010.[10] He then created the 'Ineqe Safeguarding Group'.
Gamble has been called to give evidence at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) on two occasions. The first related to child abuse on the internet and the second to faith-based institutions.[11]
Labour Party membership
editIn 2015, Gamble joined the Labour Party in Northern Ireland. Gamble stated that he wanted Labour candidates to be allowed to stand in Northern Ireland, but that he would have no plans to run himself.[12]
Later that year Gamble voted for Yvette Cooper during the Labour Party leadership election. Cooper was defeated with 17% of the vote and the eventual winner would be Jeremy Corbyn.[12]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Admin. "About". Ineqe Safeguarding Group. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ Kilpatrick, Chris (19 May 2014). "Jim Gamble: 'I was under threat but was more fearful for my family'". Belfast Telegraph.
- ^ "Crime agency block 'will hamper policing'". BBC News. 14 May 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- ^ a b "Police chief shortlist revealed", BBC News, 3 July 2000. Accessed 2009-06-03.
- ^ "'Four to contest Orde's PSNI post'". BBC News. 14 September 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
- ^ "'Head of online child protection quits'". The Guardian. 14 September 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
- ^ "Profile: Jim Gamble | BBC". BBC. 5 October 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
- ^ "Honours: Sundries (QPM, QSFM)". The Independent. 29 December 2007. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022.
- ^ Leebody, Christopher (22 April 2022). "Madeleine McCann case development most significant in 15 years, says child safety expert Jim Gamble". Belfast Telegraph. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ Israel, Simon (4 October 2010). "Online child protection boss Jim Gamble quits". Channel 4 News. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
- ^ "Witness Statement of Jim Gamble QPM" (PDF). IICSA Website. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 23 September 2022.
- ^ a b Page, Chris (30 September 2015). "Jim Gamble: Ex-CEOP boss joins Labour Party in Northern Ireland". BBC News. Retrieved 14 May 2022.