Sussex's First Female Chief Constable Is Confirmed

A woman who began her police career in Norfolk in 1993, and who was previously the county's Deputy Chief Constable, has been confirmed as the new leader of Sussex Police.

On being appointed the next Chief Constable, Jo Shiner said:

“I am incredibly proud and privileged to have been given the opportunity to lead Sussex Police over the next five years.”

According to a police statement, Jo will take up the post on July 11, becoming the first ever woman to lead the force, following a unanimous decision by the Police and Crime Panel to approve the appointment by Katy Bourne, Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner.

The Chief Constable said:

“During my 18 months as Deputy Chief Constable I have experienced the hard work and dedication of all frontline colleagues and those supporting them.

"They police with pride and professionalism to keep the public safe every day.

“They are achieving phenomenal results every single day, preventing crime, making arrests and often putting themselves in danger as they go that extra mile to protect our communities."

Reacting to her appointment, CC Jo Shiner outlined her top tasks as protecting communities, catching criminals, and delivering an "outstanding service" to victims, witnesses, and the public at large.

The Chief Constable added:

“In protecting our communities we are committed to identifying, understanding and listening to all of our communities, whether that’s our rural communities, our business communities, our online communities or those coming into the county and leaving again.

“Throughout all, prevention is vital.

"I would much sooner invest in preventing somebody becoming a victim of crime than deal with them once they have become a victim.

"I feel there are very few circumstances or crimes now where policing is the single answer."

Jo Shiner particularly addressed police responsibility to younger people:

“As the National Policing Lead for Children and Young People, it’s really important to me that we don’t unnecessarily criminalise young people when they have their whole future ahead of them.

"However, I wouldn’t want that to be taken as us not taking action when we need to.

"But we do need to help educate young people to make the right choices for themselves.

"Again, this is not something we can do alone."

Sussex Police said recent improvements, largely due to council tax precept investment and other funding have enabled the force to create new and effective teams to improve outcomes.

These included Tactical Enforcement Units, rural policing crime teams, greater prevention teams, and administrative support for investigators so they can focus on investigating crimes where people are most at risk.

The new Chief Constable's post was determined by the Sussex Police and Crime Panel, after considering a recommendation made by the Police and Crime Commissioner, Katy Bourne.

Councillor Bill Bentley, the panel's chairman, said:

“This is a challenging time for a new chief constable to take post and the panel was reassured that Jo is both intending to raise Sussex Police’s public profile through her personal leadership and will target increasing the quality of policing in Sussex to outstanding.

"These actions will provide reassurance to the public, both during the current public health emergency and for the medium-term development of policing and victim support.”

BIOGRAPHY

Jo Shiner joined Sussex Police as Deputy Chief Constable at the end of  2018.

She started her policing career in Norfolk in 1993, serving up to the rank of Chief Superintendent before transferring on promotion to Kent as Assistant Chief Constable in 2014.

Jo’s career in the police spans 28 years, during which time she has undertaken a wide variety of roles, predominantly operational both in uniform and within the Child and Adult Protection Unit, CID and as a firearms, public order and critical incident commander.

As Deputy Chief Constable, Jo was responsible for the smooth and effective running of Sussex Police and delivering the services that the communities deserve.

In January 2020, she took over the NPCC National Lead for the policing of Children and Young People. She is also the NPCC National Lead for police fitness.

Outside of work, Jo is a trustee for the charity Embrace (Child Victims of Crime) and has previously volunteered and raised money for The Princes Trust and cancer charities. She is a keen sportswoman, regularly signing up for events including marathons and long bike rides to fund raise for various charities, including The Beachy Head Chaplains who save hundreds of lives every year.  

Jo is married to Andrew.