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Gloucestershire Chief insists it?s ?business as usual? as the force faces blue light merger

Temporary Chief Constable Rod Hansen says he wants to ?enjoy? being chief.
Published - 02/05/2017 By - John Toner - Police Oracle

The Temporary Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Police says it is “business as usual” despite the looming prospect of collaboration with the fire service.

T/CC Rod Hansen, formerly deputy chief constable, was appointed in February to succeed Suzette Davenport who stood down earlier this month.

He told Police Oracle consultants were in the process of looking at a business case for greater integration between the blue light services, however maintained this was not affecting his role.

T/CC Hansen said: “Consultants are now exploring the business case for greater collaboration, or not, and by the end of this calendar year our PCC Martin Surl will make a decision on that.

“For the time being it does not affect me, I have a mandate to lead the organisation for the next 12 months. This business case will say what it says and depending on what that is it may lead to some new opinions on leadership (for the PCC).

“In the meantime I have a job to do and I am going to get on with it. We have joint meetings every month and it is business as usual.”

Discussing ambitions for his time in the role T/CC Hansen said he wanted to “stabilise” the force through continued government austerity.

He continued: “My ambition first of all is to stabilise the organisation through the next stage of austerity, we have predominantly single crewed officers, there are HMIC issues we need to address and wellbeing matters that need sorting out.

“We have lost quite a proportion of our budget and we need to find another £6.4 million (in savings) between now and 2021. I want the organisation to stay solvent and survive as well as looking after my staff.

“We also need to equip our staff for the job and all it demands in an almost constantly one-to-one environment.

“We need to be able to look back in 2021 and say ‘look how far we have come’”

When asked for his thoughts about remaining in the job if greater collaboration is required between the force and the fire service, T/CC Hansen stressed he would have to “think carefully” about the role.

He said: “My personal and professional circumstances are that my thirty years are up in September 2017 and it has been an absolute privilege to work in policing throughout that time, I genuinely mean that.

“I am proud to be the sixteenth chief constable of Gloucestershire Police, the second oldest force in the country, and I want to enjoy being the chief for the foreseeable future but if I am offered the chance I would have to think very carefully about whether I would want to do that.”

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