Rachel Bacon confirmed as next Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary.

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen has confirmed the appointment of Rachel Bacon as the next Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary.

Mrs Bacon, who is presently serving as Deputy Chief Constable of South Wales Police, was announced as the County Durham and Darlington’s preferred candidate for the role following a tough recruitment and interview process.

The PCC’s recommendation was formally endorsed by the Police and Crime Panel following a confirmation hearing earlier today.

Mrs Bacon, who has almost three decades of policing experience in a variety of specialist roles, will replace outgoing Chief Constable Jo Farrell who has now moved on to the top job at Police Scotland.

Commissioner Allen said: “I am delighted the Police and Crime Panel has unanimously backed my proposal and confirmed Rachel Bacon’s appointment as Durham Constabulary’s next Chief Constable.

“I promised the people of County Durham and Darlington I would secure the strongest candidate to take Durham Constabulary forward and I am delighted to have succeeded.

“Rachel has already proven herself to be a strong and innovative leader in previous roles. I know how much she is looking forward to taking on this challenge and investing her skills into pushing the boundaries of Durham Constabulary’s success even further.”

Commenting on her appointment, Mrs Bacon added: “I am delighted to be appointed as Chief Constable of Durham and honoured to be given this opportunity to lead such a dedicated team.

“These are challenging times for policing, but I have already been impressed by the outstanding commitment I have seen among Durham Constabulary officers and staff to protect local communities and deliver the best possible policing service.

“I look forward to building on that dedication and commitment by working with Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen to deliver on her Police and Crime Plan priorities and take this force from strength to strength”.

Mrs Bacon’s policing career began with Sussex Police in 1995 where she worked in local policing and crime investigation. Following her role as a local policing commander in West Sussex, she became Senior Investigating Officer across Sussex and Surrey and later Head of Crime and Safeguarding for Sussex and Surrey together with leading collaborated Specialist Crime units.

Mrs Bacon transferred to Northumbria Police as Assistant Chief Constable with responsibility for Change, Custody, Criminal Justice and Communications in 2017. She later took responsibility for Crime, Safeguarding and the Regional Organised Crime Unit and as an accredited Strategic Firearms and Public Order Commander, has led many complex and serious operations on behalf of Northumbria Police.

Mrs Bacon has been serving as Deputy Chief Constable of South Wales Police since 2021 where she has ensured the force remains at the forefront of crime reduction nationally.

On top of her force responsibilities, she is the UK Police lead for Mental Health and works nationally to improve policing services and police interaction in this area. This includes leading a national project to implement Right Care Right Person to ensure that the right service responds to calls impacting those in mental health crisis.

In addition, she is a member of the National Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Committee as the UK Police lead for age.

A keen outdoor enthusiast, Mrs Bacon is married to a member of a Mountain Rescue Team.

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