Senior Professionals Profile

Helen Collins BA Hons, PGCE (PCET), PIP4

Associate Director (DHR/DADRs)

Helen completed 30 years of Policing, where she undertook a number of roles including Assistant Chief Constable – Operations, and Head of Crime. As a Detective she specialised in Serious/Complex crime and Homicide investigations. Helen qualified through the Professional Investigation Process (PIP – College of Policing) as a level 4 investigator and attained the qualification of a Specialist Strategic Firearms Commander. She has lectured at the College of Policing on both leadership and investigation risk management. As Head of Crime, she established both the MAPPA and MARAC processes across the force as areas of risk in the changing world of public protection. She was a Victims Champion and began the process of placing Public Protection at the heart of Criminal investigations. Helen sat on the National Homicide working group for the College of Policing and specialised in deaths occurring in a Health Care setting.

Gail Curphey MRPharmS

Controlled Drugs Accountable Officer Training

Gail is a qualified pharmacist and has spent time in both hospital and community practice. She has extensive experience in providing professional advice to the Cheshire PCT Clinical Commissioning Executive, PCT Board and Directors and was responsible for the implementation of the Community Pharmacy Contract including the commissioning of Enhanced Pharmacy Services. As an Accountable Officer she instigated the setting up of the Cheshire & Merseyside Strategic Intelligence Network, a support group for Accountable Officers. Gail served two terms on the Royal Pharmaceutical Society’s English Pharmacy Board and her work was included in the Pharmacy White Paper – Pharmacy in England Building on Strengths, delivering the future 2008. Gail has recently been awarded Fellow of the Faculty of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (FFRPS).

Emma Larsen-Williams

Investigative Interview Skills and Investigation Training

Emma completed a 30-year career with the Metropolitan Police in September 2017. A career detective with vast experience in specialist, complex investigations. Emma finished her career working on the Professional Investigation Programme. This included mentoring, managing and quality assuring officer’s work-place evidence of investigating serious and complex crime. Whilst in this role, she wrote and managed the MPS’ Investigative Interview Policy, this was reviewed and endorsed by Dr Kevin Smith at the National Crime Agency. Emma is a qualified, competent police trainer, having delivered training at New Scotland Yard’s, Crime Academy; specialising in the Sexual Offences Investigative Techniques course, training officers deployed to victims of serious sexual offences. In addition, her expertise was used as a trainer on both the Detective training course and suspect and witness interview courses.  Emma was selected by the Foreign and Commonwealth office to deliver a two year Sexual Offences Investigative Techniques training programme to investigative officers in Athens and on the Greek Islands. During her career, Emma has been commended for her work in Family Liaison, Sexual Offences and witness interviewing.  Emma has recently worked on behalf of the London Mayor’s office and the College of Policing, delivering an operational support package on Mental Health legislation and wellbeing to thousands of frontline police officers. This has led to Emma continuing her personal development, becoming a Mental Health First Aider.

Cheryl Pinner

Family Liaison Support Training

Cheryl spent her initial police career in the Metropolitan Police before transferring to Cambridgeshire in 1987. There she continued her development as a career detective before joining the Crime Training Department holding the portfolio for child protection, sexual offences, ABE investigative interviewing and Family Liaison delivery. Latterly she continued her role as a DC on major crime as a Family Liaison co-ordinator delivering training to Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Cambridge officers as well as other regional forces and internationally to the UAE. Cheryl’s expertise and specialist knowledge resulted in her being deployed in the 7/7 bombings, interviewing high profile cases such as Ian Huntley and Prof Stephen Hawkings and subsequently receiving a number of national awards and commendations for the roles undertaken. She has continued her personal development gaining a Certificate of Higher Education in Grief and Bereavement Management and a BA Hons in Applied Investigations.

Kevin Perriment MEd

Investigative Interview Skills & Investigation Training

Kevin is a highly experienced training consultant and program manager, with 34 years of policing experience in the United Kingdom (UK) and as a policing advisor internationally. Extensive UK and international training design, development and delivery in investigation, investigative interviewing, intelligence, counter terrorism, illicit finance, educational curriculum development and leadership and development. 

Richard Brown

Controlled Drugs Accountable Office Training

Richard is a pharmacist and has extensive experience working as the Chief Officer of Avon LPC whilst also running a successful Pharmacy Consulting business.

He has extensive experience in criminal and civil cases where understanding what went wrong is crucial and a large number of these cases include controlled drugs. This experience has provided new and interesting insights to the delegates of the courses. He also visits pharmacies and other healthcare establishments to carry out audits which include looking specifically as safe and effective usage of controlled drugs.

Richard also has a PhD in Medicinal Chemistry and is currently a Senior Visiting Lecturer at the University of Bath, Pharmacy and Pharmacology department.

Alan Scobbie

Health & Safety Invetsigations

The Lead Investigator Course is delivered by Dr Alan Scobbie CMIOSH, a respected H&S professional with a blend of regulatory, consultancy and industry experience.  He has an extensive knowledge of UK H&S legislation from his role as a regulatory inspection with Health and Safety Executive.  A subsequent role with Rolls Royce plc has given him global experience in delivering hazard and topic-based improvement programmes.  Alan has specific expertise in:

Until the end of May 2022, Alan was the Lead Investigator for HS2 Ltd., the company responsible for developing the UK’s new high-speed rail network. There, he developed investigative capability and understanding across this vast construction programme, the largest infrastructure project in Europe.

Alan is very much a people person who can work with stakeholders at all levels within an organisation.

Lee Westhead

Road Police Training

Lee started his policing career in 2002 working for the Metropolitan Police Service in both local policing and specialist roles until he was promoted to Sergeant in 2008. During his time with the Met, Lee was recognised as the highest arresting officer in the largest Operational Command Unit in the country.

In 2009 Lee transferred to Greater Manchester Police and after a brief time on response policing, he took up the role of Roads Policing Sergeant in 2010. Lee completed his Senior Investigating Officer (Roads Policing) training that same year and in 2012 he was a founding member of GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit.

During his time in the Serious Collision Investigation Unit, Lee was awarded seven Commander’s Commendations for his investigation work and was twice the overall winner of GMP’s Investigative Excellence Award. In 2016 he was recognised by the Police Federation for his outstanding contribution to roads policing.

Ultimately, Lee spent more than half of his Police service leading serious collision investigations and prior to leaving Policing, Lee was GMP’s Principal Lead Investigator and Review Officer, working within the Serious Collision Investigation Unit.