Douglas Paxton in line for Chief Constable job

Suffolk has a new Chief Constable, subject to the appointment being confirmed by the Police and Crime Panel next week (February 8).

Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore and an appointments panel, selected Douglas Paxton as the next Chief Constable following a rigorous process of interviews and tests on Tuesday 29 January.

Mr Paxton, who has spent much of his police service in Suffolk, is currently Deputy Chief Constable of Staffordshire.

Tim Passmore said, “I am very pleased to propose Douglas Paxton as the next Chief Constable of Suffolk. “This was a unanimous decision by the panel. Douglas was a strong candidate, and impressed us with his sound knowledge of Suffolk and all its different communities and businesses. He has a track record of an innovative approach to policing and partnership working.

Tim added, “Douglas has given a long-term commitment to Suffolk, which is particularly important as we devise our long-term plan for the next 5-6 years, in line with our newly published Police and Crime Plan.

If the Police and Crime Panel confirms the appointment, Douglas, who is married with two children, will return to Suffolk where he served for 13 years. He joined Suffolk Constabulary in 1989 and rose to the rank of Superintendent, serving as Deputy Area Commander for the west of Suffolk. He moved to West Midlands Police in 2002 where, for three years, he was in charge of a large division in Birmingham city centre which included a match commander’s role at Aston Villa. He joined Staffordshire in April 2007.

The appointment panel was made up of Tim Passmore, Paul Winter – CEO of Ipswich Building Society, Tom Garland from the College of Policing and Di Newton, an independent member of the panel.

The Police and Crime Panel’s Chief Constable Confirmation Hearing, which is a public meeting, will be held at Endeavour House at 1.30pm on Friday 8 February.