New temporary Chief Constable for Norfolk
From today (1 July 2021), Norfolk has a new temporary Chief Constable.
Paul Sanford is stepping up from his role as Deputy Chief Constable (DCC) to lead the county’s police service following the retirement of former Chief Constable Simon Bailey.
Chief Constable Sanford will take charge of Norfolk Constabulary until Police and Crime Commissioner Giles Orpen-Smellie recruits a permanent Chief Constable. That process is currently underway.
Speaking about the temporary appointment, Giles said: "Since taking office as PCC in May I have been clear that one of the most important pieces of work I will take on is the permanent appointment of a new Chief Constable for Norfolk. This is a process that will take some time and whilst it is ongoing, I am grateful to DCC Sanford for stepping up and taking on this leadership role.
"I am confident that Norfolk Constabulary is in safe hands during this period of time and know that Mr Sanford is well placed to lead the force and draw on his many years of experience in the county and the police service.
"We in Norfolk have a police service that we can be proud of and I am confident that I can move forward with this permanent recruitment process whilst knowing our force retains a clear sense of direction and commitment to the people of our county.”
On taking up his new role, Chief Constable Sanford said: "I will have a focus on improving our service and protecting our communities from harm.
"The role of Chief Constable is to provide leadership, support and direction which enables our officers and staff to provide the best possible service to all of our communities.
"Whilst the years ahead will have their challenges – including financial uncertainty and increasing complexity in certain crimes – the future of Norfolk Police is very much focussed on providing the public the exceptional service they want and the protection they need.
"I am looking forward to continuing our strong collaboration with Suffolk Police and working with the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner to deliver their Norfolk Police and Crime Plan.
"But most importantly, I want to ensure Norfolk Constabulary provides the exceptional service Norfolk’s communities want and a standard of policing local communities can have confidence in.”
More about Chief Constable Paul Sanford
Chief Constable Sanford has served in Norfolk throughout his policing career. He joined in 1999, starting as a response officer in Sprowston and then held a variety of uniformed and detective roles, in all ranks, from Constable to Superintendent.
Promoted to Superintendent in 2008, Mr Sanford has held a number of posts, including District Commander for South Norfolk, District Commander in Norwich and Head of CID.
He is an experienced firearms and public order commander and has also been the Senior Investigating Officer on a number of significant criminal investigations.
In April 2017 he was appointed as Assistant Chief Constable for Local Policing and in 2019 was appointed Deputy Chief Constable.