Dave Jones is interim Chief of South Yorkshire Police

NORTH Yorkshire Police Chief Constable Dave Jones has been appointed as the new interim head of South Yorkshire Police.

CC Jones has been appointed to run the force until it has recruited a new permanent leader. The move comes following what has been described as a “joint agreement” between South Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner Dr Alan Billings and his North Yorkshire equivalent, Julia Mulligan.

A statement from the PCC said: “Chief Constable Jones will take up the interim post from noon on Tuesday 3 May, and he will be based at South Yorkshire Police’s HQ in Sheffield from that time.

“He will work as part of a leadership team comprising Deputy Chief Constable Dawn Copley, Assistant Chief Constable Rachel Barber and Acting Assistant Chief Constable Jason Harwin and members of the Strategic Partnership within Humberside Police.

“An additional Assistant Chief Constable, Ken McIntosh, will also be seconded from North Yorkshire Police to provide interim support to Chief Constable Jones and South Yorkshire Police Chief Officer team, in particular to help coordinate the provision of support from national police agencies.”

The permanent role of Chief Constable for South Yorkshire Police will be advertised in the coming weeks, with a view to making an appointment over the summer. Once a permanent Chief Constable is in post, CC Jones will return to his substantive position at North Yorkshire Police.

A joint statement from the National Police Chiefs’ Council, College of Policing and Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary said: “The College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs Council will be providing peer support for South Yorkshire Police following the appointment of Dave Jones as its interim Chief Constable; HMIC will be offering additional further support.

“Chief Constable Jones has a distinguished record in policing and we will assist him in his work to benefit the force and the people of South Yorkshire.”

CC Jones started his policing career in 1986 with Greater Manchester Police. In 2008 he was appointed to the role of Assistant Chief Constable for Police Service Northern Ireland. He took up the position of Chief Constable at North Yorkshire Police in 2013.

He said: “I joined the police service to make a difference and to keep people safe, and that will be my focus at South Yorkshire Police. There is no question that this is a very difficult period, both for South Yorkshire Police as an organisation, and for the communities it serves locally and further afield.

“Nevertheless, I believe there is a strong desire – both inside and outside the police service – for the force to move forward in a positive direction.

“With that in mind, I will work with the new Chief Officer Team over the coming months, to make sure that South Yorkshire Police makes progress until a permanent Chief Constable is appointed.”

He added it was “also important that officers and police staff are supported to get on with the day job, which is to serve the public of South Yorkshire and keep people safe” and that he would work with the College of Policing, NPCC and HMIC “to provide a thorough review of South Yorkshire Police.”