Maggie Blyth appointed interim chief constable at Gloucestershire Constabulary

Ms Blyth is being seconded to the constabulary from the College of Policing and will formally take up her new role on Tuesday (October 22).

It is only the second time in the constabulary’s 185-year history that a woman has been at the helm.

Mr Nelson said he has been “completely focused” on making an interim appointment to bring in an experienced leader to fulfil the responsibilities of a chief constable following the suspension of Mr Hansen on October 7.

“Quickly bringing in someone as nationally respected as Maggie Blyth is very good news for the county,” he said.

Mr Hansen was suspended  pending an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into an alleged breach of standards of professional behaviour.

Mr Nelson said: “Whilst the constabulary has continued to operate as normal, over the last week I have been completely focused on identifying interim leadership for the organisation.

“I acted quickly and decisively to appoint an experienced officer with proven leadership skills – and who has operated at the very highest level of policing. I am pleased to say that – with the help of my excellent team, and with support and advice from the College of Policing, the Home Office, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services, I have identified such an individual.

“Maggie will be seconded to Gloucestershire from the College of Policing, but will retain the national police lead tackling male violence against women and girls (VAWG). I am very grateful that she has offered us her services, experience and leadership skills during this interim period.”

Ms Blyth has more than 30 years’ experience as a public servant. She started in the Probation Service and then went on to specialise in youth justice, creating the first youth offending team in 1998 and taking a leadership role at the Youth Justice Board from 2000 to 2005.

From 2006 to 2016 she worked for local government child protection services, where she had senior oversight of child protection arrangements, and worked on a number of high profile child sexual exploitation and domestic homicide operations.

After completing the College of Policing’s Strategic Command Course, she was promoted to assistant chief constable in May 2019, overseeing local policing and public protection across Hampshire.

In October 2021 she took up the role of national police lead for VAWG at the NPCC where she was responsible for designing and delivering the first national police strategy for tackling VAWG, implementing the first national threat assessment and advising the Government on plans for a new national coordination centre for tackling VAWG.

In November 2023, Ms Blyth joined the College of Policing as its deputy chief executive.

She said: “It is an honour to be leading Gloucestershire Constabulary, the oldest county force in the country, with officers and staff who exemplify what it means to be a public servant.

“My intention is to lead the force during this chapter and provide officers and staff with stability and leadership to meet the vision of the Police and Crime Prevention Plan set between the police and crime commissioner and the public.

“In addition to my role as interim chief constable, I will remain the NPCC lead for tackling violence against women and girls.

“My immediate focus now is on delivering for the people of Gloucestershire and I look forward to getting to know my new colleagues in the coming weeks.”

Mr Nelson said because there was no fixed timeline for the IOPC investigation, he has decided to run a “competitive recruitment process” to appoint a temporary chief constable to lead the force over the longer term.