In December 2011, Owens was selected to become the next Chief Constable of Surrey Police. She took up the appointment in February 2012, becoming the first woman to head the force. In December 2012, her contract was extended until November 2017 by Kevin Hurley, the Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey Police. However, in a meeting in September 2015, Hurley revealed he had been considering her dismissal for a "failure of leadership" in relation to concerns about her record on child protection. She was part and parcel of (MPS) top leadership, in 2011 England riots which brought in criticism for the Metropolitan Police Service.