Preferred candidate to be the next chief constable of Durham Constabulary has been announced

The preferred candidate for the position of chief constable of Durham Constabulary is the current Deputy Chief Constable, Jo Farrell.
Ron Hogg and Jo FarrellRon Hogg and Jo Farrell
Ron Hogg and Jo Farrell

The announcement was made today by the Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner for Durham and Darlington, Ron Hogg.

He said:“Following a thorough search up and down the country for the best person to be chief constable, I am pleased to announce that Durham Constabulary’s current deputy chief constable, Jo Farrell, is my preferred candidate.

Mike BartonMike Barton
Mike Barton
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“Jo’s extensive and varied career in several forces brings a breadth and depth of experience to what will be a very challenging and varied role. Durham Constabulary is widely recognised as one of the best forces in the country, and I am certain that under Jo’s leadership the force will go from strength to strength”.

Interviews took place today before a Panel of senior public figures, a community representative, and an external human resources expert. These followed focus groups with Constabulary officers and staff and psychometric testing by the College of Policing.

Ron added: “The recruitment process has been rigorous. I wanted to include Police Officers and staff, so that it is clear that the chief constable has their backing”.

The appointment is subject to a confirmation hearing of the Police and Crime Panel, on 6 June.

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Mr Barton joined Durham Constabulary in 2008 as assistant chief constable and was promoted to deputy chief in 2009 before taking on the top job in 2012.

He promoted a successful mix of good old-fashioned crime detection alongside the reduction of reoffending through Restorative Justice, which has been proven to yield positive results and is now at the heart of everything the force does.

He oversaw the development of the groundbreaking Checkpoint programme, which is reducing the number of repeat offenders, and has placed huge importance on the agile development of new IT systems, recruiting a team of graduates to develop Durham’s in-house software Red Sigma.

He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in 2014.

But it was in the field of drug policy that Mr Barton became best known on the national stage, joining Mr Hogg in calling for a more meaningful debate around the issue.