New chief constable for West Yorkshire Police confirmed

West Yorkshire`s police and crime commissioner (PCC) has announced the permanent chief constable appointment following the retirement of Mark Gilmore.

Dee Collins has been appointed chief constable after two years being in temporary charge of the force.

Ms Collins’ appointment as West Yorkshire Police’s temporary chief constable came after Mark Gilmore began a 14-month suspension in connection with an investigation into the awarding of vehicle contracts in Northern Ireland.

Mr Gilmore announced his retirement in August.

PCC Mark Burns-Williamson, said: “I am delighted to be making this announcement today as Dee`s appointment to this position is great news for West Yorkshire Police and for our communities.

“Dee comes to this role with a great deal of experience and understanding having served West Yorkshire first as deputy and then more recently as temporary chief constable.

“Having worked closely with Dee over the last couple of years I know how passionate she is about this job, about the wellbeing of police officers and staff and about keeping our communities safe and feeling safe.

Her career began in 1987 with Cleveland Police where she became its first female armed response officer. She worked her way through the ranks of operational sergeant, inspector and operations manager before becoming a superintendent.

In August 2005, Ms Collins joined Cumbria Constabulary as commander of its south basic command unit and led on internal staff matters as the force’s gender champion.

She was appointed assistant chief constable support for Derbyshire Constabulary in April 2007 and was seconded to the National Police Improvement Agency in 2010 as a syndicate director for the strategic command course before returning to Derbyshire as ACC operational support.

In 2013, she was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for her contribution towards British policing as well as the Annual Award for Mentoring by the British Association of Women in Policing of which she is currently President, and International Association of Women in Policing.

PCC Burns-Williamson added: “I will soon be launching the new Police and Crime Plan for the next five years that contains the priorities that people across West Yorkshire have raised with me.

“I look forward to working closely with Dee to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, prevent crime and re-offending, support victims, and prevent people from harm.”

Ms Collins said: “I am delighted and proud to have been appointed to lead West Yorkshire Police as its Chief Constable.

“My focus going forward will be on delivering our joint vision with the Police and Crime Commissioner to `Keep Communities in West Yorkshire Safe and Feeling Safe`. Protecting the public, particularly the most vulnerable individuals, remains my number one priority.

“I firmly believe that the men and women who make up West Yorkshire Police are key to our continued success and one of my main aims is to ensure we develop and support our people to be the best they can be.

“I am also committed to building a force that is diverse in representation and thinking. It is important as we move forward that we engage with our communities, that we are part of them and that together we can address concerns.”

This appointment is subject to a Police and Crime Panel confirmation hearing on Friday 11 November.