Both the fire and rescue service and police service in West Yorkshire have made changes at the top.
John Roberts is the new Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service.
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority has appointed John Roberts as the new Chief Fire Officer and Chief Executive of West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service (WYFRS). Mr Roberts (right), who is currently Deputy Chief Fire Officer of South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, will replace West Yorkshire’s current CFO Simon Pilling on 1 February 2017.
CFO Simon Pilling said, “I would like to congratulate Mr Roberts on his appointment and wish him well when he takes the reins next year. I am confident he will be a real asset to West Yorkshire and that his hopes and ambitions for the service will bring real benefits to the public we serve.”
Mr Roberts said, “I am looking forward to leading WYFRS, despite the many challenges ahead. The fire and rescue service continues to operate in uncertain times, with the requirement to make further savings. However, I am confident that WYFRS will continue to deliver a high quality level of service to its communities. It goes without saying that WYFRS has an excellent reputation, and it is a privilege to have been selected.”
Mr Roberts started his career at Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and carried out a secondment in the Department for Communities and Local Government before moving to South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue in 2009. He was appointed to the position of Assistant Chief Fire Officer in 2012 and Deputy Chief Fire Officer in April 2015.
Chief Constable Dee Collins, West Yorkshire Police.
West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner Mark Burns-Williamson has appointed Dee Collins as the new Chief Constable of West Yorkshire Police.
President of the British Association of Women in Policing (BAWP), Chief Constable Collins had previously served West Yorkshire as Deputy Chief Constable and then more recently as Temporary Chief Constable. She said, “I am delighted and proud to have been appointed to lead West Yorkshire Police as its Chief Constable.
“My focus going forward will be on delivering our joint vision with the Police and Crime Commissioner to ‘Keep Communities in West Yorkshire Safe and Feeling Safe’. Protecting the public, particularly the most vulnerable individuals, remains my number one priority.
“I firmly believe that the men and women who make up West Yorkshire Police are key to our continued success and one of my main aims is to ensure we develop and support our people to be the best they can be.
“I am also committed to building a force that is diverse in representation and thinking. It is important as we move forward that we engage with our communities, that we are part of them and that together we can address concerns.”
