New Police Structure Reflects Force’s Local Focus
Having now settled into his new role, Chief Constable Mark Collins has made the decision to return to a four-county command model, returning individual policing Commanders to each county.
The new model, which mirrors the local authorities, sees new faces heading up Carmarthenshire* (Supt. Gary Mills) and Powys (Supt. Jon Cummins) with Supt. Robyn Mason moving from Powys over to Ceredigion. Supt. Ian John remains as Commander for Pembrokeshire.
Under the new approach each county’s senior management team will consist of a Superintendent, a Chief Inspector Operations, a Chief Inspector for Partnerships and Support, and a dedicated Detective Chief Inspector.
Chief Constable, Mark Collins, said:
“This is a positive change for Dyfed-Powys Police which will make it easier for us to meet the needs and expectations of local people.”
“Work is also underway to strengthen our Neighbourhood Policing delivery. This structural change at the command level in each county ensures officers and staff on the ground are available and are directed to the areas in which they are needed most. These changes also support better, more co-ordinated problem solving at the earliest opportunity.
“All of these efforts aim to provide a better service to the communities we serve and I will be closely monitoring our performance to ensure that the benefits of this new structure are being felt.”
Speaking on behalf of the new commanders, Supt. Ian John, Commander for Pembrokeshire, said:
“There is much change ongoing across our Force area and I’m looking forward to putting the new structure here in Pembrokeshire into action.
“As a service, Dyfed-Powys Police is committed to doing as much as we can to safeguard our communities in partnership with other organisations. The new arrangements support closer working with partner agencies providing greater opportunity for long term planning and problem solving.”
Who are they:
Supt Gary Mills – Carmarthenshire
Gary joined Dyfed Powys Police in 1996. He has served as Constable, Sergeant and Inspector in both uniform and CID branches of the organisation. He is an accredited Senior Investigating Officer and was the All Wales lead for Safeguarding Children during his time within Protecting Vulnerable People. During that time he was responsible for introducing a number of initiatives in relation to Missing Persons and Domestic Abuse within the force.
Gary has undertaken the role of Deputy Director of Intelligence within the Information and Intelligence Directorate, before moving to Carmarthenshire as Chief Inspector in August 2016. Gary was promoted to Superintendent in Carmarthenshire in February 2017.
Supt Robyn Mason – Ceredigion
Robyn joined Dyfed Powys Police in 1992, during this time he has served in several different roles across the four counties of Dyfed Powys; these have included periods within Public Protection and uniform policing.
He was promoted to Superintendent in October 2013 and was responsible for the counties of Powys and Carmarthenshire.
In September 2014 he moved to be the Superintendent for Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire and he started his role as the Superintendent for Powys in January 2015. He will now be based in Aberystwyth as Superintendent for Ceredigion.
Supt Ian John – Pembrokeshire
Ian joined Dyfed Powys Police in October 1988, and was stationed in Newtown. He worked in a variety of uniformed posts in north Powys, including local community policing and was promoted to sergeant in 1993. In 1996 Ian worked as staff officer to Chief Constable Ray White during his time as President of the Association of Chief Police Officers, based in police headquarters.
Ian was promoted to the rank of inspector in 1998 and in 1999 he moved to his home county, Pembrokeshire Division, where he had responsibility for Milford Haven and Haverfordwest. In 2001 Ian was promoted to Detective Chief Inspector in the Professional Standards Department. In 2004 Ian worked in Llanelli and Carmarthen as chief inspector and temporary superintendent. In recent years Ian has worked as a superintendent heading the Administration of Justice Department and uniformed superintendent in Carmarthenshire, Powys, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. In January 2016 Ian returned to the force having been seconded to the College of Policing as lead officer for criminal justice.
Ian is passionate about the important role that local neighbourhood policing plays in keeping people safe. He was local commander for both Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire from January 2016, and in his current role as local police commander for Pembrokeshire he enjoys working with local officers, partners and the community to build strong community links.
Supt Jon Cummins – Powys
Jon has had a varied policing career which began in South Wales Police with roles in neighbourhood policing, response and investigation. He then transferred to the Metropolitan Police in London in 2008.
During his time in the Met Jon worked across Lambeth, Southwark and Westminster Borough Operational Command Unit’s and was selected for a role within the Counter Terrorism Unit in Specialist Operations.
Jon transferred home to Wales in early 2014, as Dyfed-Powys Police Deputy BCU Commander in Powys. Jon has had the privilege of commanding both of Europe’s largest agricultural shows – the Royal Welsh Show – and the National Eisteddfod in 2015. Since his return to Wales he has enjoyed discovering the challenges of rural policing.
During 2016 he was seconded to work for the Chief Officer Group on Corporate Development, which culminated in a short secondment to Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) during the autumn.
Jon was promoted to Superintendent in the role of Powys BCU Commander in February 2017.
He is a both a Fellow with the Chartered Management Institute (FCMI) and Chartered Manager (CMgr) and also holds a BSc (Hons) in Policing. He is currently undertaking an MSc in Policing with the University of South Wales.
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