New Chief Constable for Norfolk Police
He starts his new role today.
Norfolk Constabulary's new temporary Chief Constable says he wants to build on the force's strong foundations - with a focus on improving service and protecting our communities from harm - as he starts his new role today (1 July).
Chief Constable Paul Sanford is stepping up from his role as Deputy Chief Constable until the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner recruits a permanent Chief Constable, following the retirement of Simon Bailey this week.
Chief Constable Sanford has served in Norfolk throughout his policing career. He joined in 1999, starting as a response officer in Sprowston and then held a variety of uniformed and detective roles, in all ranks, from Constable to Superintendent.
Promoted to Superintendent in 2008, Mr Sanford has held a number of posts, including District Commander for South Norfolk, District Commander in Norwich and Head of CID.
He is an experienced firearms and public order commander and has also been the Senior Investigating Officer on a number of significant criminal investigations.
In April 2017 he was appointed as Assistant Chief Constable for Local Policing and in 2019 was appointed Deputy Chief Constable.
Having lived in Norfolk for all but a few years of his life, Paul has a passion for the county and policing - and when not at work he enjoys spending time with his wife and children and can be found either watching sport or out on a long-distance run.
Chief Constable Paul Sanford helped deliver the strong foundations on which Norfolk Constabulary currently stands and he believes the force has the infrastructure and talent to be even better.
He said:
"I will have a focus on improving our service and protecting our communities from harm.
"The role of Chief Constable is to provide leadership, support and direction which enables our officers and staff to provide the best possible service to all of our communities.
"Whilst the years ahead will have its challenges - including financial uncertainty and increasing complexity in certain crimes - the future of Norfolk Police is very much focussed on providing the public the exceptional service they want and the protection they need.
"Working with my colleagues, I want to ensure we are a police force which is visible and accessible to all. It is important we engage and connect with our communities to understand their issues and concerns in order to make people feel safe. It is also important we work together to solve those issues and prevent crime from happening in the first place.
"We remain committed in having a robust response in tackling criminals and we will continue to proactively target those who cause the most harm to our communities.
"I am looking forward to continuing our strong collaboration with Suffolk Police and working with the Norfolk Police and Crime Commissioner to deliver their Norfolk Police and Crime Plan.
"But most importantly, I want to ensure Norfolk Constabulary provides the exceptional service Norfolk's communities want and a standard of policing local communities can have confidence in."
Giles Orpen-Smellie, Police and Crime Commissioner for Norfolk said:
"Since taking office as PCC in May I have been clear that one of the most important pieces of work I will take on is the permanent appointment of a new Chief Constable for Norfolk. This is a process that will take some time and whilst it is ongoing, I am grateful to DCC Sanford for stepping up and taking on this leadership role.
"I am confident that Norfolk Constabulary is in safe hands during this period of time and know that Mr Sanford is well placed to lead the force and draw on his many years of experience in the county and the police service.
"We in Norfolk have a police service that we can be proud of and I am confident that I can move forward with this permanent recruitment process whilst knowing our force retains a clear sense of direction and commitment to the people of our county."