On 14 June 2023, it was announced that she had been appointed as Police Scotland's first female Chief Constable.

[2] Farrell was born in Wirral, Cheshire, and moved to Cambridge at the age of 15 when her father relocated there for work.

During her tenure as Chief Constable of Durham, the force introduced a new approach to dealing with rape suspects, and during the COVID-19 pandemic investigated Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer for a potential breach of COVID-19 regulations.

Her appointment was confirmed by Angela Constance, Scotland's Cabinet Secretary for Justice, on 14 June 2023.

[5] In December 2023 she announced that Police Scotland would begin rolling out the use of body cameras from summer 2024.