Hampshire Constabulary has announced the appointment of 2 new Assistant Chief Constables.
ACC Catherine Akehurst will oversee the forces’ Joint Operations Unit, which includes Roads Policing, Dog Units and Armed Response across Hampshire, Isle of Wight and the Thames Valley.
ACC Akehurst started her policing career with Greater Manchester Police in 2003, before transferring to Hertfordshire in 2005. During her career, she has worked in a number of uniformed and detective roles, with her most recent position being the Director of Business Change for the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire strategic alliance.
She has also previously spent 2 years seconded to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), working as force liaison to Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies.
Also starting in the role is ACC Robert France, who will be responsible for Crime, Criminal Justice, Intelligence and Tasking and Development.
ACC France is transferring to the force from Thames Valley Police, where he has worked throughout his career. Like ACC Akehurst, he has spent time in uniformed and detective roles, and has extensive background in public order policing and firearms command.
His time with TVP included a 5-year stint as Area Commander for Bracknell and Wokingham, and he has most recently led on force performance, business planning, change and organisational development as Head of Governance and Service Improvements.
Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney has said:
“I am very pleased to welcome Catherine and Robert to Hampshire Constabulary as new Assistant Chief Constables.
“Both have a wealth of experience in a variety of areas of policing and I am delighted that they will now bring those expertise to Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
“The skills and knowledge they have developed from the varied roles they have undertaken in policing will be a great benefit to the force.”
Hope they can make a difference in a positive way. Zero tolerance to drugs, speeding and violent crime, including knife crime.
They’re our concerns, not those of the police. For some time now it has become evident that the policy of the force has been to turn a blind eye to drug dealing. So many of us have reported drug running going on overtly in our area, only to be continually ignored.
I regard the police as therefore at least partly responsible for the drug related crimes which have occurred.
You can give the thumbs down but this is good point.
4 reports to crimestoppers 2 reports to Neighbourhood Team. Several residents returned questionnaire NOT A WHISPER from the Police.
losing faith in it all.
As we residents of West Wight have for over a couple of years now.
Most of us no longer report the drug running going on every evening, having learnt that the Police now regard it as ‘petty crime’ and low priority.
Just as it did for other Police failings recently, it will take public pressure leading to government intervention to force the Police to tackle drug crime.
Hopefully this news of more managers will very rapidly be followed by one about the arrival several new officers who can actually tackle crime rather than paperwork.
Unfortunately I suspect that after the costs of two senior officers along with support staff, offices and sundries there won’t be any money left.
Pointless seat polishers
Oh great! More managers. That will really help.
I can see that neither of these brings much to the party if you believe the police should catch criminals…… lots of high level management experience involving not staying anywhere too long to gain real experience, oh and the obvious being senior officers in a service widely seen to be slowly failing the public over the last ten years…….things can only keep sliding