Cambridgeshire seeks new Chief Constable

The hunt is on for a new, achieving and visionary Chief Constable for Cambridgeshire as Police and Crime Commissioner Sir Graham Bright seeks a replacement for retiring Chief, Simon Parr.

The current Chief Constable retires at the end of July, nearly five years after joining the force and after 32 years' police service. Deputy Chief Constable Alec Wood will take over as Acting Chief Constable until a permanent appointment is made.

Paying tribute to Mr Parr's leadership of the force, Sir Graham said: "Simon has provided excellent leadership over the last five years, adapting the culture of the organisation to embrace new technology, embed new ways of working to deal with the changing face of crime and empowering officers and staff to make decisions."

"As a force we continually punch above our weight and have come a long way in the last few years," Sir Graham said. "I want the new Chief Constable to build on these achievements. At the same time they will need to have the vision to lead the Constabulary to meet new and challenging policing demands in an efficient and effective way."

In his overview of qualities that candidates need, he points out: "We need someone who will seize opportunities and take on future challenges, providing strong, clear and confident leadership for both the Constabulary and the partners we work with."

He also highlights the financial pressures to do more with less, and the ‘hidden demand' of under-reported crimes such as child sexual exploitation, sexual violence and cyber-crime. To meet these challenges in the most efficient manner, the Constabulary has increasingly collaborated with other police forces, local authorities and partner agencies.

At the same time, the culture of the organisation has evolved to fully embrace new technology and to empower local policing teams to make decisions and to take action. "This culture of empowerment must continue, with staff being supported by but not burdened by technology," the Commissioner adds.

He points to Cambridgeshire having a vibrant and diverse population in its market towns, cities and rural areas, with employment that includes specialist service sectors, academia and tourism. "Couple this with the impact of national and international criminality, such as computer-enabled crime or modern day slavery, then this gives a picture of Cambridgeshire's daily policing challenges."

Application closing date is 21 July.