South Wales Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Bacon will be the next Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary.

A confirmation hearing was held yesterday as the Police and Crime Panel endorsed the PCC’s recommendation.

DCC Bacon has almost three decades of policing experience with a career that began in Sussex in 1995.

Following a role as a local policing commander in West Sussex, she became Senior Investigating Officer across Sussex and Surrey and later Head of Crime and Safeguarding for Sussex and Surrey together with leading collaborated Specialist Crime units.

DCC Bacon transferred to Northumbria Police as Assistant Chief Constable with responsibility for Change, Custody, Criminal Justice and Communications in 2017. She later took responsibility for Crime, Safeguarding and the Regional Organised Crime Unit.

She has been serving as DCC of South Wales since 2021 and is the UK lead for mental health – a role which encompasses leading the implementation of Right Care Right Person.

She is also a member of the National Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Committee as the UK Police lead for age.

The previous Chief Constable, Jo Farrell, has now taken up the top job at Police Scotland.

Commenting on her appointment, DCC Bacon added: “These are challenging times for policing, but I have already been impressed by the outstanding commitment I have seen among Durham Constabulary officers and staff to protect local communities and deliver the best possible policing service.