In 1939 he was seconded (as Acting Inspector of Constabularies) to the Regional Commissioner's Offices for Nottinghamshire and then for Cambridgeshire and in 1943 was appointed Chief Constable of Northumberland Constabulary.
He was temporarily placed in charge (as Acting Inspector of Constabularies) of the Regional Commissioner's Offices for Nottinghamshire and Cambridgeshire in 1939, and two years later, he became the top officer at Northumberland Constabulary in 1943.