Acting Chief Constable of Gwent Police given top job on permanent basis

The Acting Chief Constable of Gwent Police has been officially appointed on a permanent basis.

Caerphilly Observer was the first to reveal in June this year that former Deputy Chief Constable Julian Williams had been given the permanent job by Gwent Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Jeff Cuthbert.

His appointment, replacing the retiring Jeff Farrar, had been due to be approved by the Gwent Police and Crime Panel, which scrutinises the PCC, on June 16.

However, the meeting had to be cancelled as there was no panel convened following the UK General Election held on June 8.

Ch Cons Williams, who was the sole applicant for the job, instead took up the role in an acting capacity on July 1.
The panel eventually met on August 1 and officially confirmed Mr Cuthbert’s choice.

Chief Constable Williams said: “It is a real privilege to serve the public of Gwent and I feel proud to perform the role of Chief Constable within a force that has such a strong tradition and background of success.

“There is a huge amount of tremendous work carried out daily by the officers and staff within Gwent Police and it is an honour to serve with them and to work with our partners both locally and nationally to tackle some of the challenges we face.

“I look forward to working with the Police and Crime Commissioner to deliver against the priorities in his police and crime plan and ensure that we continue to deliver an efficient and effective service for all of our residents.”

PCC Mr Cuthbert said: “Gwent Police is in a well-placed position to meet both current and future demands on the service and I firmly believe that Julian has the characteristics, wealth of experience, talent and drive to be an effective Chief Officer who will ensure that we continue to improve.

“Following a robust interview process, the appointment panel for his interview unanimously agreed that he would be the right person for the role and the Police and Crime Panel have also shown their support for my decision.”

Ch Cons Williams joined Gwent Police on a secondment from South Wales Police in 2014 as Temporary Assistant Chief Constable and was permanently appointed to the role in 2015.

He served as the Deputy Chief Constable of Gwent Police until his appointment as the Acting Chief Constable.

He spent 25 years with South Wales Police and served in the Barry, Penarth, Cardiff, Neath, Port Talbot and Swansea areas as well as being based at their Bridgend headquarters.

His background is within operational policing and, as a Chief Superintendent, was the Divisional Commander for the Western Division, covering Swansea, Neath and Port Talbot.

Prior to leaving South Wales Police, he was the Temporary Assistant Chief Constable for specialist operations.