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The decisions as the council's minutes record them. A plain-language summary follows once it has been written.
RESOLVED to note the appointment of Mr Ifan Charles as Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys Police.
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Liz Rijnenberg (Powys County Council), Councillor Wyn Thomas (Ceredigion County Council), and Councillor Les George (Powys County Council).
No declarations of interest were expressed.
UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Panel held on the 18th July 2025 be signed as a correct record.
No matters arising from the minutes of the meeting were raised.
Decision as recorded
RESOLVED to note the appointment of Mr Ifan Charles as Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys Police.
The Panel was asked to review the proposed appointment of a new Chief Constable for Dyfed-Powys Police. Schedule 8 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 requires the Panel to review the Commissioner's proposed appointment and report as to whether the candidate should be appointed. In outlining the report, the Commissioner provided an outline of the key details of the recruitment process, which led to Mr Ifan Charles' selection as the preferred candidate for the position. The Chair, on behalf of the Panel, welcomed the preferred candidate to the meeting and explained that five formal questions had been drafted to assess whether the candidate has the professional competence and personal independence required for the role. The five questions and the candidates' responses were as follows: Can you demonstrate how you have engaged local communities and partners in policing in its widest sense and specifically how you have understood and met local community needs? · Force was previously not meeting expectations in terms of community engagement and was highlighted for improvement by HMICFRS. · The Force has since undertaken work to understand areas for improvement, including benchmarking against other forces across England and Wales, and seeking examples of best practice. · A key improvement area identified was strengthening community connections and engagement. The Force has developed a Neighbourhood Policing and Prevention Team Engagement Plan, along with six community engagement channels, to support this. · Since taking on the role of Chief Constable, further additions to the Plan, particularly engagement with voluntary organisations, have been identified. Work is ongoing to ensure effective engagement across all voluntary organisations across the Police force. · Engaging with communities is essential to listen to their concerns and identify the best ways to support them. · Community priorities were not previously published on the Force's external website. The Chief Constable has acknowledged the need for accountability in this area. · Regular performance meetings are held by the Deputy Chief Constable and the Chief Constable to review the purpose of the Neighbourhood Policing and Engagement Plan, ensuring accountability for community engagement. The six engagement channels also help ensure this. · Although community engagement had previously been inconsistent, there is confidence that it is now at an appropriate level; however, a continued need remains to listen, learn, and improve when engaging with communities. Using past experience, please provide examples to demonstrate how you will manage the relationship with the Police and Crime Commissioner, particularly when there is a divergence of opinion? · Maintaining a productive, respectful relationship with the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) is a vital aspect of the role. · Part of this involves understanding that it is appropriate to respectfully disagree on certain matters, particularly where issues affect the public, victims, or the workforce. · A healthy relationship is built on trust, in terms of being transparent, exchanging information and having honest discussions on what is and isn't working, to be able to deliver the best service possible for the public. · The Policing Protocol 2023 provides important guidance on the relationship between the Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), particularly for maintaining operational independence. The Chief Constable is fortunate to work with a PCC who respects this and allows them to have discussions on areas for improvement. · The relationship between the Chief Constable and the Police and Crime Commissioner is about serving the greater good and doing what is right for the public and victims, which is the fundamental way they would approach the relationship. How have you been able to raise standards of professionalism in the workforce? What are your priorities in terms of developing professional standards? · National challenges outlined in the media recently regarding policing standards exist across all forces; therefore, it is essential to be realistic about the police force's current progress in addressing these challenges and the work that needs to be undertaken. · Raising standards begins with an inclusive and ethical leadership approach. This includes being compassionate and treating all with fairness and respect. Dyfed-Powys Police has been accredited by the College of Policing at Levels 1, 2 and 3, as one of six forces across England and Wales for their leadership course. · A key part of the force's Strategic Delivery Plan is the culture pledge, which is underpinned by the core principles of the College of Policing's Code of Ethics. These are: working together to achieve the plan, challenging each other, calling out bad behaviour at every level, striving to be better tomorrow and building thriving, compassionate teams. · The People Culture Strategy 2025-2029 focuses on raising standards, which includes an Outcomes Framework that helps measure progress and ensures effective governance, accountability, and communication around this focus, including Chief Constable Dial-Ins every two months. Give me an example of how you have overcome resistance to change within an organisation? How would you determine what is an effective leadership strategy and how have you inspired those under your command? · The Leadership Strategy is clear and well-communicated across the organisation. Active listening is emphasised to identify priorities, challenges, and the overall direction of the Police Force. · As part of the Strategic Planning process, the Chief Constable holds Leadership Days every four months with the Force's leadership team. These sessions review organisational priorities, strategic approaches, and the framework for achieving those priorities. Reflective discussions are also included to allow leaders to identify potential areas for improvement. · To effectively complement listening, it is also essential to have a willingness to adapt. A recent example of this was a one-year change undertaken within one of the Policing Teams. · Discussions with the Policing Team, with support of data, identified the need to adapt this change, with 10 listening sessions conducted with the team and their counterparts to understand what worked well, address challenges, and ensure the identified need for further change served the best interests of victims, the public, and the team's way of working. The Chief Constable noted that this would be an approach they aim to replicate for future and current organisational change. Strategically the police service will have to balance potentially competing priorities at a national, regional and local level. Could you outline to the panel your awareness of these issues and how you have prioritised, your strategic approach to each. · At the largest level, the UK Government's Productivity Review and the anticipated Policing White Paper may present challenges for the Force, particularly regarding potential reductions in the number of police forces and possible impacts on the National Centre for Policing and procurement processes. · It is essential to view these expected national challenges as potential opportunities for improvement. However, the Force must be cautious that these opportunities benefit those living in Dyfed-Powys. · In Wales, the 2026 local elections are expected to be a challenge, particularly as the discourse surrounding the election may increase community tensions. This reinforces the importance of the community engagement approach the Force employs, particularly when issues arise, and how the Force can assist in managing those issues. · From the Forces' perspective, the challenges expected to arise emanate from both national and regional levels, in addition to other factors relevant to the area. The Strategic Planning and Assurance Cycle will help the Force understand and address challenges across all levels effectively, to enable the best decisions around their strategy and deliver a good service to communities and victims. · Working with others in different public service sectors through cross-service mentoring has also been identified as a pertinent approach to identifying ways to help navigate these challenges strategically. A series of follow-up questions related to the responses provided to the five questions was raised by Panel members, which the candidate responded to accordingly. Following the responses provided, the Panel were assured that Mr Ifan Charles demonstrated the professional competence and personal independence required for the role. The Chair, on behalf of the Panel, extended congratulations to the candidate on his appointment and wished him success in their new role. UNANAMOUSLY RESOLVED to note the appointment of Mr Ifan Charles as Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys Police.
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