Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner is named

Philip Clark, 53, grew up in Lincolnshire and after graduating with a degree in history and politics worked for a number of charities and aid agencies in the Middle East during the first Gulf War.

He joined the Metropolitan Police in 1991 and transferred to the Lincolnshire force in 1995. He has served as a sergeant and inspector and carried out secondments to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the East Midlands Development Agency.

Father-of-two Mr Clark, who has trained as a hostage and crisis negotiator, was elected to the full-time position as the Police Federation rep in 2012 – a job he retained until his retirement in October this year.

His appointment has been made by PCC Marc Jones and he takes up his position on January 1.

“I am delighted and honoured to be appointed to this position and look forward to using my wealth of experience to support the Commissioner in his drive to keep our communities safe,” said Mr Jones.

“There are challenges ahead but I am wholly committed to the people of Lincolnshire and the improvement of the services provided to them.”

Mr Clark will deputise for Mr Jones in a range of formal and informal meetings and take the lead in areas crucial to the delivery of the police and crime plan.

“Phil will make a huge difference to my team and I am thrilled he has agreed to take on the role,” said Mr Jones.

“His knowledge of Lincolnshire Police, his dedication to public service across the county and the relationships he has built with many people and organisations will all be crucial.

“I am confident Phil will play an important role in helping me deliver better services, bring innovation and protect communities.”

The deputy PCC role is an unelected post created by Mr Jones to support him. Mr Jones was re-elected as Police and Crime Commissioner earlier this year in a delayed election due to the pandemic.

The previous deputy PCC Stuart Tweedale, a former Conservative district and county councillor from Ruskington, stepped down earlier this year after more than five years in the role.

During his tenure Mr Tweedale was hugely successful in raising the profile and awareness of frauds and scams on a local, regional and national level.

A special programme created and designed by the former Deputy PCC in conjunction with Trading Standards and police colleagues – designed to help school children understand and spot scams – has now been rolled out across the UK.

Work on creating a similar programme aimed at university and college students is now being developed and is supported by UK Finance - the trade association for the UK banking and financial services sector.

Mr Tweedale undertook a series of roadshows, talks and school visits educating thousands of people on how to protect themselves against scams.