The deputy chief constable of a Welsh police force mired in controversy has been given the top job at North Wales Police. Amanda Blakeman will start in the role of chief constable on October 31 and will be the first woman to hold the top job in the force's 48-year history. Ms Blakeman was previously the deputy chief constable at Gwent Police which has recently face criticism for its handling of the gross misconduct case of three of its senior officers.
Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin presented a report detailing the appointment process of the new chief constable and a panel confirmed the appointment of Ms Blakeman as the new chief constable following current chief Carl Foulkes announcing in May he would be retiring this October.
According to the report Ms Blakeman was made the preferred candidate after "a considerable and long-standing career of over 30 years in policing'" with a "proven operational and strategic background in West Mercia and Gwent Police".
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WalesOnline approached Mr Dunbobbin and asked him the following questions:
- Were you aware about the issues with personnel and culture within Gwent Police at the time of Amanda Blakeman's appointment?
- Were you aware of the outstanding questions that were still to be answered about how the senior leadership team at Gwent Police dealt with accusations against Mark Warrender, Marc Budden, and Paul Staniforth as well as Clarke Joslyn?
- Was Ms Blakeman challenged on the outstanding issues with Gwent Police?
- Do you feel it is appropriate that someone Ms Blakeman's recent record is appointed to such a senior position in the force?
In response a spokesman from Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner said: “Amanda Blakeman joined Gwent Police as deputy chief constable in November 2019, several months after the incidents that were the subject of investigation happened in June 2019. She was appointed as Independent Appropriate Authority with the IOPC investigating the incidents prior to becoming deputy chief constable of Gwent and continued in that role after joining the force.
"Those investigations recently concluded and the officers involved have been dealt with appropriately and according to the rules in place. Amanda Blakeman demonstrated during the recruitment process for her new role that she was the right candidate for the position of chief constable of North Wales Police and her outstanding achievements throughout her career in policing speak for themselves.”
In a letter to the panel's chair John Williams Mr Dunbobbin said the process to appoint the new chief was "open, transparent, and rigorous". The role was advertised between June 20 and July 11 for a fixed term of up to five years on a salary of between £149,913 and £164,904, depending on experience.
Alongside Mr Dunbobbin on the panel were independent member Gill Lewis, Dyfed-Powys Police chief constable Dr Richard Lewis, Welsh Government adviser Nazir Afzal, Joint Audit Committee chair Rachel Barber, and monitoring officer Stephen Hughes.
WalesOnline also questioned several members of the selection panel about the appointment along the same lines as we did the PCC. Mr Afzal said that his role did not relate to the questions. He said: "I was part of an extensive process that included dozens of police staff and community representatives and had to be signed off by the police and crime panel. My part did not involve consideration of the matters you refer to." Dr Lewis said that questions should be directed to the PCC for North Wales Police and the force itself said it would not be appropriate to comment.
There were only three applications for the role. The advertisement was featured on the National Police Chiefs' Council website, Police and Crime Commissioner's website, College of Policing website, Association of Police and Crime Commissioners' website, and was distributed through social media and press releases.
The job was also circulated on email to His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Service as well as the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners chief executives. The panel said they received three expressions of interest for the chief constable role but added that the low number of applications was not unusual.
The report stated: "Receiving a low number of applications is not unusual as the pool of potential applicants is extremely small. The College of Policing's recent Chief Officer Appointments Surveys Results and Analysis Report showed that forces (who responded to the survey) usually receive small number of applications."
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