Lincolnshire's PCC selects his preferred candidate to take over as his deputy

Lincolnshire Police & Crime Commissioner Marc Jones has selected his preferred candidate to take over as his deputy.

Sara Jayne Munton, Police Now Force Partnerships Area Manager for Northern England & Wales, Independent Advisory Group member for Lincolnshire and Independent Chair for the Violence Against Women and Girls Voices group, has been selected by Jones to assume the position.

This decision follows the resignation of Jones’ previous deputy, Philip Clark, in March. This sudden departure remains shrouded in controversy following a police investigation into an altercation at a pub near Lincoln.

The news was revealed in council documents prepared for a meeting of the Police & Crime Panel at Lincolnshire County Council on Friday, August 2.

In her personal statement, Ms Munton vowed to support Jones in the delivery of the Police & Crime plan to the highest standards should she be successful. She wrote:

She wrote: “My appointment will bring unique expertise and capacity to Marc as the Commissioner as well as the OPCC in other areas of work and delivery.

“I will engage with communities across the county to ensure that Lincolnshire police decision making is always with the unique needs of the county at the heart of it. I will uphold the highest of professional standards and will work with honesty and integrity whilst taking great pleasure in serving the public.”

In the report, Jones issued the following statement: “As the role of Police and Crime Commissioner matures it continues to expand in scope and importance to the delivery of effective services to the public across England and Wales.

“We are seeing PCCs needing to appoint deputies with a range of backgrounds and skillsets to complement their own and to deliver against the specific local challenges faced in their area.

“Here in Lincolnshire I have, as ever, an ambitious agenda to challenge and support the Chief Constable in the efficient and effective delivery of policing as well as working with a range of local, regional and national partners and organisations to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour, as well as improve feelings and the reality of safety in our communities.

“To achieve this I need to appoint a deputy with the right skills and attitude to not just deputise, although this is important given the amount of work across such a large geographical area, but also add their own experience to mine to enhance effective decision making and to take the lead in a number of vital workstreams.”

He added: “Sara has a plethora of experience which will enable her to work alongside me over the coming months and years to deliver for the communities of Lincolnshire. She is a dynamic person, with a background and understanding of some important elements of the policing landscape as well as direct knowledge and experience of working with Lincolnshire Police to challenge and support the mission to tackle some very pertinent and important issues.

“She will directly oversee for me the Lincolnshire Strong Voices Programme, which ensures we hear the voices of young people from across the county, as well as leading on the work to commission and deliver an outstanding service for victims and survivors of crime. She will also be taking a leading role in several major workstreams relating to criminal justice and supporting, along with me, the three Town Deal Boards in Lincolnshire, which generate a significant amount of work.”

The report also detailed Chief Constable Paul Gibson’s endorsement of Ms Munton.

He added: “Sara has undertaken important work for Lincolnshire Police including as a member of the Independent Advisory Group and as Chair of the Violence Against Women and Girls Voices group and I am sure her wide range of experience will be very useful in the role of Deputy PCC.

“I look forward to working with her once she is in post.”

Following Friday’s meeting, the Police & Crime Panel must produce a report to the PCC on the proposed appointment, which must include a recommendation to the Commissioner regarding whether the candidate should be appointed. The PCC may then accept or reject the panel’s recommendation.