Chief Constable – Bedfordshire Police

Police Officer - Internal
Chief Excutives
Bedfordshire Police Force
Headquarters, Kempston, Beds
Permanent
Chief Constable
Full Time

Chief Constable – Bedfordshire Police

£142,689 to £156,958 plus relocation package (Subject to Conditions)

Bedfordshire Police and Crime Commissioner, Kathryn Holloway, is looking for an outstanding leader as the next Chief Constable of Bedfordshire.

The successful candidate must work closely with the Police and Crime Commissioner, whose own version of “holding to account” is to support her Chief, Executive and the Force to positive change. This has proved a winning formula, with a Special Grant of £4.571m awarded to Bedfordshire Police in December 2018 (and a commitment from the Policing Minister to rectify Bedfordshire’s historic disadvantage in relation to funding at the next Spending Review). Kathryn Holloway and her current Chief, Jon Boutcher, have worked shoulder to shoulder to achieve this in the national, local and regional media and within Government. Bedfordshire Police was the most improved force for gradings in the Effectiveness Report of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services in 2018 and is on such a positive trajectory of improvement, despite its size and financial challenges, that it is now regularly sought out by other national and international forces in relation to good practice, especially with regard to Community Cohesion; the same is true of those units led by the Chief Constable at Eastern Regional level (ERSOU) - the highest performing Counter Terror Intelligence Unit for investigations leading to successful prosecutions and a Regional Organised Crime Unit which constantly vies for the lead spot.


The Chief Constable of Bedfordshire operates in one of the most diverse counties in Britain, in which over 100 languages are spoken. The successful candidate must have exceptionally strong interpersonal skills and a desire to connect with our communities, in person. 


The PCC and current Chief have returned Community Policing to Bedfordshire through eight Community Hubs in our towns and at Luton Airport. A key challenge for the new Chief Constable will be to build on exceptionally strong bonds of trust and confidence that already exist in our diverse communities, extending these to all communities countywide, through strengthened Community Policing and enhanced community engagement in the smaller towns, villages and rural areas. They will be assisted in this task through the highest level of Police Constable recruitment in the Force for a decade (160 PCs this financial year, 60 of whom are growth posts above establishment) and a strong medium term recruitment plan beyond this. The new Chief must support the PCC in her ambition to retain and build upon the Force’s exceptional success in relation to BME recruits and others who are part of our minority communities, to create a force which, increasingly, looks and sounds like the public it serves.


Bedfordshire is a challenging county to police at its level of budget and resource; with one of the fastest expanding populations in the country and severe and complex crime issues: it has been described as presenting the third highest terror threat nationally and its road, rail and air transport links facilitate county lines and other Serious Organised Crime activity.


In addition to responsibility for ERSOU, the Chief Constable of Bedfordshire Police also leads one of the most successful collaborations in policing. It is the lead force for Joint Protective Services (JPS) across the Triforce alliance of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire (BCH), delivering services including the Major Crime Unit, Firearms, Roads Policing, the Dogs Unit, Scientific Services, Civil Contingencies and Operational Support.


Bedfordshire, therefore, requires a decisive Chief Constable who leads from the front yet who is capable of working with their peers at both Triforce level and as part of the seven force Eastern Regional Alliance with Norfolk, Suffolk, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Kent and Essex. 


Bedfordshire Police has been committed to delivery of the Police and Crime Plan (of which more than 70% has been achieved in the first three years of this term, according to the Police and Crime Panel in March 2019). Its own Control Strategy consists of the following Key themes informing partnership resourcing and intervention,


  • Exploitation of children and adults

  • Domestic abuse, rape and sexual offences

  • Organised crime, gangs, serious violence and knife crime

  • Drug and substance misuse

  • Cyber crime

  • Vulnerable people

  • Domestic burglary, because of the impact it has


Bedfordshire Police is an Equal Opportunities employer and wishes to attract the best candidates from across a diverse range of backgrounds to reflect the communities it serves at all ranks. 


If you are ready for this challenge please contact Laura Mills, Resourcing Manager by email laura.mills@cambs.pnn.police.uk to request an application pack. Applications need to be returned no later than the midday on the 10th May 2019.


If you would like to find out more or attend a Familiarisation Day planned for April 23rd 2019 please contact Clare Kelly, Chief of Staff via clare.kelly@bedfordshire.pnn.police.uk or call 01234 842208.


10 May 2019

This opportunity is closed to applications.