New North Wales Police Chief Constable to be confirmed next week

North Wales’ new Chief Constable could be confirmed in his job next week.

A meeting of the North Wales Police and Crime Panel on Monday will hold a hearing to appoint the new police chief, who will take over from Mark Polin after he left the post in July.

The panel will meet with Gulf War veteran Carl Foulkes, who is the choice of Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones to fill the role.

The meeting will be the final hurdle before the appointment of the new chief constable can take place.

He will be replacing Mr Polin, who left the force to become the new chairman of Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

Mr Foulkes, 47, who hails originally from Caergwrle, is currently the Deputy Chief Constable of Merseyside Police.

He joined the British Transport Police in 1993, having previously served in the Royal Navy and seeing active service in the first Gulf War.
Mr Foulkes left the force as a Chief Inspector to join West Midlands Police as a Detective Chief Inspector. In 2008, he was promoted to the position of Solihull Commander and two years later he assumed command of Force Intelligence, before moving on to head Force CID, the largest single department in the force.

As head of Force CID, he managed the force’s response to serious organised crime, homicide and acquisitive crime.

The meeting will take place next Monday in Conwy.

By Shane Brennan – BBC Local Democracy Reporter (more here on the LDR scheme).