North Yorks' top cop takes control at embattled Hilsborough force
Dave Jones to take charge at South Yorks as part of agreement reached between by North and South Yorkshire Police Commissioners.
North Yorkshire
North Yorkshire's top police officer has assumed command of the troubled South Yorkshire force as the fallout over last week's damming Hillsborough verdict continues.
Chief Constable Dave Jones will now take charge of both forces after an agreement was reached between Julia Mulligan and Dr Alan Billings, the Police Commissioners for North Yorkshire and South Yorkshire respectively. Mr. Jones will remain in the role until a permanent replacement is recruited in due course.
Mr. Jones took charge of the force from midday today and is to be based at South Yorkshire Police’s HQ in Sheffield.
He will work as part of a leadership team comprising Deputy Chief Constable Dawn Copley, Director of Finance for South Yorkshire and Humberside Police, Nigel Hillier, Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Barber and Acting Assistant Chief Constable Jason Harwin and members of the Strategic Partnership within Humberside Police. An additional Assistant Chief Constable, Ken McIntosh, will also be seconded from North Yorkshire Police to provide interim support to Chief Constable Jones and South Yorkshire Police Chief Officer team, in particular to help coordinate the provision of support from national police agencies.
Dave Jones started his policing career in 1986 with Greater Manchester Police. In 2008 he was appointed to the role of Assistant Chief Constable for Police Service Northern Ireland. He took up the position of Chief Constable at North Yorkshire Police in 2013, where he has worked with Julia Mulligan, Police and Crime Commissioner, on a programme of service improvement and modernisation. Chief Constable Jones is also the National Police Chiefs’ Council lead on citizens in policing, and sits on the national Special Capabilities Board.
During the interim appointment, North Yorkshire’s Deputy Chief Constable, Tim Madgwick, will become Temporary Chief Constable for that force. DCC Madgwick has served 28 years with North Yorkshire Police and was awarded the Queen’s Policing Medal in this year’s New Years’ honours.
Commenting on the appointment, Dr Alan Billings, Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire said, “I welcome Chief Constable Dave Jones and I am confident that he will be able to move the force forward to a position where trust and confidence in the force can begin to be restored.
“The last week has been very turbulent for South Yorkshire Police and I am well aware of the anguish felt by the communities of South Yorkshire and police officers and police staff at the present time. I will be working closely with the Force to establish stability as soon as possible.
“I want to give reassurance to all and make it clear that I have been working very hard alongside members of my office and colleagues in the Home Office, the College of Policing and HMIC to resolve these issues as a matter of urgency.
“I am also very grateful to the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire, Julia Mulligan, who has been extremely supportive and has offered the services of Chief Constable Jones to us during this very difficult period.”
Chief Constable Dave Jones said, “I joined the police service to make a difference and to keep people safe, and that will be my focus at South Yorkshire Police.
“There is no question that this is a very difficult period, both for South Yorkshire Police as an organisation, and for the communities it serves locally and further afield.
“Nevertheless, I believe there is a strong desire - both inside and outside the police service - for the Force to move forward in a positive direction.
“With that in mind, I will work with the new Chief Officer Team over the coming months, to make sure that South Yorkshire Police makes progress until a permanent Chief Constable is appointed.
“First and foremost, I will engage with those communities both inside and outside of South Yorkshire who have been let down by the police service. I want to understand how their confidence in policing has been affected, and work with them to build it back up and restore pride back into the police service.
“It is also important that officers and police staff are supported to get on with the day job, which is to serve the public of South Yorkshire and keep people safe.
“In addition, and with the support of the Police and Crime Commissioner, I will be seeking the full support of the College of Policing NPCC and HMIC to provide a thorough review of South Yorkshire Police. The full details of this and the Terms of Reference will be worked out in due course in partnership with the South Yorkshire Police and the PCC. This will form the basis of a route-map for the incoming Chief Constable.
“I will also work alongside the Police and Crime Commissioner to seek to ensure that the service has sufficient funding and resources to tackle the issues facing the Force.
“I am not under-estimating the scale of the work ahead, but part of the reason why I have taken on this interim role is that I believe that the policing as a whole has a duty to help the service in South Yorkshire to move forward.
“It is vitally important and it is the bedrock of British policing that we have the trust and confidence of the public and if anything puts that at risk the whole of the police service needs to respond accordingly.”