The Scottish Police Authority has today (Thursday 29 February), announced the appointment of two new Deputy Chief Constables to Police Scotland.
Alan Speirs, current Temporary Deputy Chief Constable, and Bex Smith, Assistant Chief Constable, both with Police Scotland, will take up their new permanent posts on Monday 11 March.
The appointments follow a robust selection and recruitment process and fill vacancies following the retirement of Fiona Taylor earlier this month, and the impending retirement of Malcolm Graham in April 2024.
The appointments have been made by the Authority in accordance with the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012.
Martyn Evans, Chair of the Authority and the Selection Panel who interviewed candidates for the role, announced the appointment saying:
“I am delighted to announce the appointment of Alan Speirs and Bex Smith to the rank of Deputy Chief Constable with Police Scotland.
“Both officers have a wealth of senior and operational skills and experience to support the Chief Constable to lead and drive the next important phase of police reform.
“I was struck by the quality of senior officers we have in Police Scotland as we went through this very demanding selection process. We are very fortunate to have such a cadre of talented and professional police officers in Scotland.”
Police Scotland’s Chief Constable, Jo Farrell added:
“I congratulate Bex and Alan on their promotions. They are outstanding leaders and I’m grateful to them for stepping forward as we progress a new phase of police reform.
“I thank all the high-quality candidates who participated in a competitive and rigorous selection process.”
Biography of Alan Speirs
Alan Speirs has been Temporary Deputy Chief Constable for Professionalism, Strategy and Engagement since July 2023. His areas of responsibility include:
- Professionalism and Assurance
- Policing Together
- Strategy and Analysis
Prior to his appointment, T/DCC Speirs was Assistant Chief Constable for Professionalism and Assurance, joining the Executive Team in 2017.
He started his career with Strathclyde Police in 1988 and has performed command roles within Local Policing (Renfrewshire and Inverclyde), C3 and Professional Standards.
Biography of Bex Smith
Bex Smith joined Police Scotland as an Assistant Chief Constable in 2022. She is the executive lead for Major Crime, Public Protection and Local Crime. Her areas of responsibility include:
- Major Crime
- Public Protection
- Local Crime including Wildlife crime
- Rights and Justice Legislative Programme
- Biometrics
- NPCC Lead – HOLMES
She is the Senior Responsible Officer for the Age of Criminal Responsibility Act and Information Asset Owner for Interim Vulnerable Persons Database.
ACC Smith has spent 18 of her 20 years in policing moving between Public Protection, Major Crime, Local Crime and Serious and Organised Crime (SOC).
She was Regional Head of Investigations at the National Crime Agency where she managed all SOC investigations across a wide variety of threats including modern slavery and human trafficking, drugs, fraud and child abuse.
ACC Smith is an experienced Strategic and Tactical Firearms Commander and has worked in professional standards.
BACKGROUND NOTES
Two vacancies at the rank of Deputy Chief Constable with Police Scotland were advertised across the UK from 1 December 2023 until 31 January 2024. The roles were open to all applicants who met the statutory eligibility criteria.
The assessment process for shortlisted candidates included:
- A policing professional peer review
- Psychometric testing
- Facilitated discussions with an external stakeholder panel which included representatives of the public, private and third sectors.
- A final interview with the selection panel. The appointment panel was chaired by Martyn Evans, Chair of the SPA and included:
- Jo Farrell, Chief Constable of Police Scotland
- Alasdair Hay, Board Member of the Scottish Police Authority
- Uzma Khan, Vice Principal for Economic Development and Innovation and Deputy Chief Operating Officer (Governance) of the University of Glasgow, Independent Member.
Craig Naylor, HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary in Scotland observed discussions with candidates.
The Authority is responsible for appointing Police Scotland’s Chief Constable, Deputy Chief Constables and Assistant Chief Constables, as required by the Police and Fire Reform (Scotland) Act 2012.
As Deputy Chief Constables of Police Scotland, post-holders will earn a salary of £203,717. The appointments will be for a fixed term of 4-years with the possibility of extension in accordance with legislation.
The Scottish Police Authority will launch a recruitment process for Assistant Chief Constables in March to fill the vacancies presented by these promotions.
