Hampshire crime commissioner reveals county's future police chief

HAMPSHIRE is on the verge of having its first female police chief, the county's police and crime commissioner has revealed.
By The Newsroom
Published 25th Feb 2016, 19:27 BST
Updated 25th Feb 2016, 20:29 BST
Olivia Pinkney has been named as the preferred candidate to take over the role of Hampshire Constabulary's Chief ConstableOlivia Pinkney has been named as the preferred candidate to take over the role of Hampshire Constabulary's Chief Constable
Olivia Pinkney has been named as the preferred candidate to take over the role of Hampshire Constabulary's Chief Constable

Simon Hayes this evening confirmed his preferred candidate to become the new Chief Constable for the Hampshire police as Olivia Pinkney.

The announcement comes after former chief constable of Hampshire police Andy Marsh left the force to become the chief at Avon and Somerset.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The commissioner made his decision following a lengthy recruitment process and two-day interviews.

‘Olivia was an incredibly strong candidate and will bring a wealth of operational experience and strategic leadership to the chief constable role,’ said Mr Hayes.

‘I am confident that this robust recruitment process has helped me to identify the right individual to lead Hampshire Constabulary through the continued times of austerity and changing policing landscape in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.’

Olivia – who was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal earlier this year – is currently the Deputy Chief Constable of Sussex Police and has been in the role since March 2014.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Speaking of her selection, she said: ‘Hampshire Constabulary is a brilliant force with great people serving all of the communities of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

‘I am delighted to have been selected as the preferred candidate, and it will be an honour to have the opportunity of serving alongside them.’

During her time as one of Sussex’s top police officers, Olivia helped to drive forward the force’s major restructuring programme – Sussex Police 2020.

She was part of the team forced to make major decisions to achieve £60m of savings.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Currently she is the chairman of the Sussex Local Resilience Forum and was involved in the response to the Shoreham Air Crash last summer.

On top of this, Olivia is also the National Children and Young People lead and has spearheaded the launch of Operation Kite in Sussex to address child sexual exploitation.

Previous to her current role, Olivia was Assistant Inspector of Constabulary for Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary leading independent professional assessments of police efficiency and effectiveness for the public.

In a newly created joint post of Assistant Chief Constable for Sussex and Surrey Police for two years, Olivia was a member of both chief officer teams and part of significant operational collaboration.

It’s now up to the Police and Crime Panel, which will discuss and confirm the appointment following a meeting on Friday, March 11.