Amanda Blakeman has been appointed the new deputy chief constable of Gwent Police and will start her new role on November 1, the force has confirmed.

DCC Blakeman was formerly DCC of West Mercia which she joined as a recruit in 1992.

At West Mercia she held responsibility for intelligence and proactive functions and has been a SIO as part of the Serious and Organised Crime Unit. In 2008, seconded to the West Midlands Regional Intelligence Unit, she led the development of the critical processes around identifying and disrupting Organised Crime Groups.

In addition she has led the delivery of policing operations on a local level as a Local Policing Area Commander. She has also held the roles of Head of Public Protection and Head of Operational Support for West Mercia Police and Warwickshire Police. She has been a Tactical Firearms Commander and is now a Specialist Strategic Firearms Commander.

DCC Blakeman has a Bachelors in Science with Honours in Crime and Criminology.

She has successfully completed the Senior Police National Assessment Centre and the Strategic Command Course. She was appointed as Deputy Chief Constable for West Mercia Police in February 2017 having previously been Assistant Chief Constable for Local Policing, since October 2014, for Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police.

More recently and prior to the recruitment process in Gwent, DCC Blakeman was West Mercia's Senior Responsible Officer for Transformation. She is NPCC lead for Serious Organised Acquisitive Crime, an area she has worked within for the majority of her career.

Commenting on her appointment, Chief Constable Pam Kelly said: “Amanda has a significant background in Operational Policing, Change Management and in particular within Professional Standards. Along with ACC Jon Edwards and Chief Officer (Resources) Nigel Stephens, I have an experienced team that, along with my officers and staff, will help me deliver the best service possible to the communities of Gwent.”