Police and Crime Commissioner welcomes Chief Constable confirmation

We followed the procedure set out by the College of Policing and I am delighted the Police and Crime Panel has agreed with us that Suzette is the best person for the job.

She was the outstanding candidate in a very strong field and having met with her today, the panel has confirmed our judgement. I am looking forward to working with her to provide the best possible police service for Gloucestershire.

The IPCC investigation is a matter of public record and I have been completely open about it throughout the recruitment process.

I made the interview board fully aware of it and, where possible, I have answered questions from the media.

As I have said before, until the investigation is completed I am restricted in what I can say but I am confident there will be a positive outcome.

In the meantime, I am grateful to the Police Commissioner for his support and the endorsement of the Police and Crime Panel.

The whole process has restored my faith in fairness and justice and I am very much looking forward to starting my new job.

I am very proud and excited to be coming to Gloucestershire and having met a number of my new colleagues already, I can’t wait to get started.