Mark Rowley took up his current post as Assistant Commissioner in the Metropolitan Police in December 2011. He has responsibility for the areas of Specialist Crime and Operations across London in support of the Commissioner’s commitment to Total Policing.

Prior to his appointment to the Met, Mark was Chief Constable of Surrey Police where he led the Force’s focus on cutting crime and anti-social behaviour through putting “Surrey Public First” – simplifying the Force’s focus on safety and improved public confidence by reducing the volume of targets and giving more discretion to frontline officers to fight crime and serve victims. Major crime reduction was underpinned by Operation Shield - created as a new approach to the 50% of Surrey’s crime committed by travelling criminals. He oversaw a radical transformational change program that uniquely addressed austerity challenges and additionally increased PCs by 200 (16%), cut management costs by a third and support cuts by a quarter, creating joint teams with local authorities of officers/PCSOs and council staff and sharing buildings to reduce estate costs. The extra operational led to rises in public confidence to 87% and similar levels of satisfaction with response to crime and ASB.

He has also overseen several high profile investigations and for 5 years he led the investigation into the 2002 murder of Milly Dowler ending in a high profile conviction of Levi Bellfield on 23rd June 2011.

Mark began his policing career in 1987 in West Midlands Police, having graduated from St. Catharine’s College, Cambridge. After a broad uniformed and detective career in Birmingham, he moved to the National Criminal Investigation Service as a Detective Superintendent. On transferring to Surrey as Chief Superintendent to command West Surrey Basic Command Unit, he oversaw major crime reductions and was appointed Assistant Chief Constable from November 2003. He helped generate the ‘National Reassurance Policing Project’ which led to the countrywide roll out of Neighbourhood Policing. This work included the establishment of "neighbourhood panels" where local people vote on what they want local officers and themselves to tackle in the subsequent month. In 2005 he took responsibility for ‘Specialist Operations’ in the county.

Mark has two teenage boys that lead him to a variety of activities from rugby to wildlife photography. He met his wife at University and she works in the legal profession.

From 2009-11 he was a member of ACPO Cabinet, leading the ‘Future Business Area’ including co-ordinating ACPO’s approach to implementation of PCCs.

In 2011 he was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal.