Patrick Cairns MBE DL
Chief Executive Officer
Police Treatment Centres & The Police Children’s Charity
Patrick Cairns was commissioned into the Royal Military Police (RMP) in 1986. A career Army Officer he served around the world in a variety of roles as a Commander, a Staff Officer, an Instructor, and has served on operations in Northern Ireland, the Former Yugoslavia, Iraq and Afghanistan.
Highlights of his 28 year military career included a 2 year tour as an Instructor in the American Military Police School in Alabama, setting up and running the British Ambassador’s Close Protection Team in Baghdad in 2003, and Chief of Police of over 4000 Military Police Officers from 26 NATO countries in Afghanistan in 2011/12.
A passionate supporter of the International Police Community he has worked closely with a number of International Police Services throughout his career both in the UK and overseas and supported both military and police charities throughout his career, regularly fund raising on their behalf.
He concluded his military career as the Deputy Chief Officer of the RMP in the rank of COLONEL, where he was responsible for the oversight, direction and policy of all complex and serious crime and investigations within the British military.
He is an Economics Graduate from the University of Warwick, has a Master’s Degree in Defence Studies from Kings College London, and a French Diploma from the University of Westminster.
He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant within the West Yorkshire Lieutenancy in July 2018 and amongst his other external interests, he is a Senior External Assessor for the College of Policing.
He took up the appointment as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Police Treatment Centres and CEO of The Police Children’s Charity (which is a separate charity) in June 2014 after taking early retirement from the Army. Over the last 9 years he has significantly developed and expanded the services of the Treatment Centres to the point where they now treat over 4000 ill and injured Police Officers each year, a growing number of which are for mental health and wellbeing issues.
He was appointed a Member (MBE) of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for Services to Police Charities on the New Year’s Honours List 2020.
