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11
Jan 2024
Next police chief: Criminal police officers have ‘rocked confidence’
A ‘"small minority" of criminal police officers have rocked confidence in policing, admitted the next chief constable of North Yorkshire Police.
Tim Forber faced councillors in Northallerton this morning before they confirmed him for the £154,000-a-year role.
Mr Forber, who was chosen as the preferred candidate by Tory crime commissioner Zoe Metcalfe, will replace retiring chief constable Lisa Winward.
Policing has faced several high-profile scandals and events in recent years, including the rape and murder of Sarah Everard by serving officer Wayne Cousins.
An investigation published by the Observer found one in 100 police officers in England and Wales faced criminal charges in 2022, including for sexual offences.
Mr Forber said his biggest challenge in York and North Yorkshire will be to tackle a lack of confidence in officers, and added the force is “knackered” if the public has lost faith in them.
He said:
During the hour-and-a-half meeting this morning, he was quizzed by councillors about his 27-year career in policing and how he intends to lead North Yorkshire Police.
He was asked by Conservative councillor Peter Wilkinson how the force will demonstrate value for money to the taxpayer at a time when inflation is high and budgets are being squeezed.
Throughout the meeting Mr Forber highlighted the importance he places on neighbourhood policing but said increasingly crime is happening online, where more money should be focused.
He said:
Mr Forber has experience working for urban police forces in London and Manchester, so was asked by Conservative councillor Heather Moorhouse about crime in North Yorkshire, which can often take place in the countryside and on farms.
He responded by saying “there’s no point pretending” he has extensive experience tackling rural crime, but since applying for the role he has spent time researching the problem and speaking to groups such as the National Farmers' Union.
Mr Forber said crime such as machinery theft costs the rural economy millions of pounds a year, and was largely perpetrated by organised gangs and not “local villains”.
He said:
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