THE first direct-entry candidate to be successfully appointed to a chief officer level position in England and Wales has joined Wiltshire Police.

Maggie Blyth, who was previously employed by Hampshire Constabulary, today became the assistant chief constable for local policing.

She said: "I am excited to be joining Wiltshire Police as assistant chief constable.

"It is a huge privilege to join such a strong organisation with its evident commitment to protecting our very different communities across the Force, working alongside our partners and community leaders."

She joined Hampshire Constabulary as a superintendent in November 2016, following a career specialising in children's services in the public sector.

She has a background in safeguarding and public protection and her previous roles have included being the Independent Chair of Kent, Oxfordshire, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Safeguarding Children Boards and a Ministerial appointment with the Parole Board for England and Wales.

She has published several books on children at risk and is particularly interested in how public services work together to protect communities effectively from high risk and high harm crimes.

Maggie's current post in Hampshire is as the District Commander for Portsmouth, where she has been in charge of local policing for the city.

She joins Mark Cooper, who has now been appointed as the ACC for crime and justice.

Chief constable Kier Pritchard welcomed the appointments.

He said: "I am delighted to welcome Maggie, Mark and Chris into these roles.

"This was a rigorous recruitment process with a strong shortlist for all three positions, but they stood out as exemplary candidates, thanks to their knowledge, skills and experience.

"As everyone knows, the past year has been particularly challenging for Wiltshire Police, given the events in Salisbury and Amesbury, and I have complete confidence that these new members of our Executive Leadership Team will, with their colleagues, continue to provide the strong leadership and stability we need to move forward.

"I know they are all looking forward to starting their new roles, meeting our officers and staff, and getting to know the communities in Swindon and Wiltshire."

Police and Crime Commissioner for Wiltshire and Swindon Angus Macpherson said: "I would like to congratulate all three candidates on their appointments and look forward to working closely with them to continue to lead Wiltshire Police in the right direction.

"Strong leadership requires a mix of skills and experience and, from what I have been told, each of these three will bring something new and important to the leadership team at Wiltshire Police.

"I am also pleased to hear that the recruitment process was competitive - Wiltshire Police is a good Force to work for and the last 12 months have illustrated what the Force is capable of achieving."