Met T/Assistant Commissioner Amanda Pearson has been named as the preferred candidate for the Dorset Chief’s job.

PCC David Sidwick had said he wanted someone with “experience across a number of forces [and who] had worked across the breadth of policing”.

T/AC Pearson initially joined the police service in 1993 and has served in a number of forces including Hertfordshire, the City of London and Thames Valley.

She is currently a T/Assistant Commissioner with the Met and is the NPCC lead for stop and search.

She became a chief officer in 2018, with the plan being for her to take over from CC Scott Chilton when he moves back to Hampshire.

Temporary Assistant Commissioner Pearson said: “I am excited by the prospect of being Chief Constable of my home patch, working closely with our communities, partners and the PCC to ensure Dorset is safe for everyone who lives, works and visits here. 

PCC David Sidwick said: “What Dorset needs in a Chief Constable is a tough crimefighter who will drive forward and deliver on the Police and Crime Plan and policing vision that is already fundamentally delivering for the people of Dorset. I want Dorset to be the safest county and I know that Amanda shares that ambition and would work hard in order to achieve it."

If confirmed, T/AC Pearson will take over the role in March and will bring the number of female chief constables in England and Wales to 18.