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The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has appointed two new Deputy Directors General as part of a package of wide-ranging reforms.
Kathie Cashell and Steve Noonan will take up their permanent positions in the New Year.
Kathie becomes Deputy Director General (Strategy, Engagement and Communications) within the new management structure which aims to deliver a high performing organisation trusted by both the public and the police. She has been Acting Deputy Director (Strategy and Corporate Services) for the last 18 months and started working for the IOPC’s predecessor, the IPCC, in 2007.
Steve Noonan is the new Deputy Director General (Investigations, Oversight and Casework) responsible for planning the direction of investigations and ensuring the effective delivery of all IOPC investigations as well as overseeing the police complaints system. He has been Acting Director of Operations since October 2023 and started working for the IPCC in 2013. Previously he served in HM Armed Forces with the Royal Military Police for 23 years.
The two new deputy directors general (DDG) posts are part of major transformation measures underway across the IOPC to increase the effectiveness, governance and efficiency of the organisation resulting in significant improvements for the public and the police – and are in line with the recommendations from Dr Gillian Fairfield’s Independent Review of the IOPC published in March this year.
“We have begun the most radical transformation programme since the inception of the IOPC in 2018. Kathie and Steve’s appointments are key to achieving our ambition, driving productivity and enabling us to complete more high quality, timely reviews and investigations – providing a much better service to everyone who comes into contact with the complaints system”
OPC Director General Rachel Watson
Commenting on his appointment, Steve Noonan said: “I am honoured to be appointed as the DDG for Investigations, Oversight and Casework having had over 10 years of experience of working with the police complaints system.
“I am truly excited by the scale of IOPC’s ambition to restructure and deliver its transformation programme that will greatly improve the service it provides while placing those who use our services at the heart of delivering really important work.”
Kathie Cashell said: “I feel privileged to have been appointed permanently as one of the new DDGs and am looking forward to working with Rachel, Steve and the many committed colleagues at IOPC to lead an ambitious programme of transformation which will improve our performance and ensure our work contributes to improving policing and public confidence in it.”
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