Helen King

Helen Mary King (born 26 April 1965) is a British academic administrator and retired police officer. Since April 2017, she has been Principal of St Anne's College, Oxford. Her previous career was as a police officer, serving with the Cheshire Constabulary, the Merseyside Police, and the Metropolitan Police Service. She retired from the police in 2017, having reached the rank of Assistant Commissioner.

Early life and education King was born on 26 April 1965 in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, England. She is the daughter of Robert King, a senior civil servant, and Mary King (née Rowell). She was educated at The Hertfordshire and Essex High School, then an all-girls comprehensive school in Bishop's Stortford, and at the Perse School for Girls, a private school in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. She graduated from the University of Oxford in 1986 with a lower second class (2:2) Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree.

King continued her studies in later life. In 1994, she completed a Master of Arts degree at the University of Manchester. In 2003, she completed a postgraduate diploma at the University of Cambridge. Over her time serving with Cheshire, she rose from the most junior rank of constable to chief superintendent, and worked as both a uniformed officer and as a detective with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

In June 2014, King joined the Metropolitan Police Service as assistant commissioner for territorial policing. In October 2016, it was announced that she would be retiring from the police to take up a position at the University of Oxford in 2017.

Academic career In October 2016, it was announced that King had been elected the next Principal of St Anne's College, Oxford;