Force appoints first ever woman in an ACPO role

SOUTH Yorkshire Police has appointed its first ever female chief officer, Jo Byrne, a “highly experienced” assistant chief constable from West Midlands Police.

South Yorkshire had been one of 17 forces in England and Wales without any women among its chief officer ranks. The force had never had a female officer in an ACPO role.

Mrs Byrne has been selected as assistant chief after 27 years at West Midlands. She is an experienced strategic firearms commander, a role she held throughout the disorder in Birmingham in August 2011, and has been a commander in the areas of Smethwick and North Walsall.

South Yorkshire’s Chief Constable David Crompton said he was “delighted” that Mrs Byrne was joining the force. “She is a hugely capable and highly experienced officer whose dynamism, drive and creativity will be of great benefit to the people of South Yorkshire,” he said.

Mrs Byrne has said she is “thrilled and excited” to have been selected and is looking forward to working with the “many different communities in South Yorkshire”. She added: “I’ve been made very welcome and already feel part of the policing family.”

Mrs Byrne is a member of ACPO’s Ethics Portfolio and deputy senior responsible officer for the Joint Emergency Service Interoperability Programme (JESIP), which improves the way emergency services work together when responding to major or complex incidents.

Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Tracey Cheetham said Mrs Byrne’s appointment would bring significant value to the force. She added: “Jo’s experience, particularly in terms of public engagement and her track record in delivering services that are truly customer focused, will be of great benefit to all our communities.”