The person in charge of a police force.
 the inquiry was led by the chief police officer in London
 Example sentencesExamples
-  Our key concern is that any changes should be fair and recognise the huge range of responsibilities chief police officers carry on behalf of the public they serve.
 -  Ministers were warned last night that the forthcoming spending cuts would force chief police officers to prioritise resources and that less visible duties could suffer.
 -  He said it should be mandatory for chief police officers to record and publish their contact with the media.
 -  Discussions were under way with the association of chief police officers on new initiatives to ensure electoral offenders are brought to justice.
 -  Operational decision-making is conducted by professional chief police officers who have spent their whole career in policing.
 -  Some chief police officers backed a proposal to raise the speed limit to 80 mph.
 -  I've been taking to chief police officers about how we can coordinate in communities where we know there are gang and gun problems.
 -  "I have met with chief police officers and we have managed to get controls tightened," said Sara.
 -  They can only open fire if given the green light by a chief police officer.
 -  I want to work with chief police officers to find the best way of responding.