Keith Bristow
Keith Bristow QPM is a British former police officer who led the National Crime Agency (NCA) as its first Director-General, a role he began in 2011 when he was appointed to oversee the agency’s creation; the NCA started operating in 2013, and Bristow served until January 2016. Before leading the NCA, he was Chief Constable of Warwickshire Police from 2006 to 2011. Bristow started his career with West Mercia Constabulary as a cadet and rose through roles in uniform and the Criminal Investigation Department, later becoming staff officer to the president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, Detective Superintendent, and then Assistant Chief Constable before becoming Deputy Chief Constable and finally Chief Constable of Warwickshire.
He has held prominent positions in policing organizations, including head of crime at ACPO and chair of the G8 Law Enforcement Group. Bristow is noted as the first British graduate of the European Top Senior Police Officer Course and holds a master’s degree in organizational development along with a postgraduate diploma in management studies and a diploma in applied criminology. He received the Queen’s Police Medal in 2008 for distinguished service.
After stepping down from the NCA in 2016, Bristow became a senior adviser to Arcanum Global, a private intelligence firm. In 2019 he was reportedly involved in discussions with the UK Financial Conduct Authority regarding the Financial Times’ coverage of Wirecard, a company that later collapsed with about €1.9 billion missing.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 21:23 (CET).