Former Assistant Chief Constable at Surrey Police, Kirkby held an internal investigation into the Surrey Police’s handling of the information accessed by the News of the World, which was obtained by hacking the voicemail of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.
Chief Inspector of Constabulary (May 2009 to July 2012) at the time of giving evidence; previously Chief Constable of Surrey Police (2000-2004) during the investigation into Milly Dowler's death in 2002. Sir Denis told the Inquiry that following an article in The Guardian in July 2009 alleging widespread phone hacking at the News of The World, he had recommended an "independent review" to the Home Office – but reported that there was "no appetite" for this from officials, including then Home Secretary Alan Johnson.
