Home office names Tom Winsor as preferred candidate for Inspectorate role

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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The Home Secretary, Theresa May names Tom Winsor as preferred candidate as the next £200,000-a-year role of Chief Inspector of Constabulary, provoking outrage from officers already opposed to Mr. Winsor’s recent proposals on pay.

For the very first time in its near 160-year history, a civilian is named to be appointed to one of the most important jobs in British policing – in a move which has been termed as ‘declaration of war’. But this has caused widespread anger among rank-and-file officers, insisting he will be there to represent the public, not the “producer interest”.

Mr. Winsor, the former rail regulator, who authored the police pay and conditions’ a controversial review that led to a 30,000-strong protest by police officers last month.

Police minister, Nick Herbert has told that he rejected Police Federation claims that Winsor lacked the “profound understanding of policing” needed to advise the home secretary. He said: “He was by far the best candidate for the job.”

He has further added that during the 18 months Winsor had worked on his official reports on police pay and conditions and “demonstrated his ability to get under the skin of policing” and his independence both from the government and the police.

Paul McKeever, chairman of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said: “We look forward to hearing from the home secretary how the appointment of Tom Winsor provides the profound understanding of policing that is so important for public safety.”

His sentiments were echoed by chairman of the federation’s Hampshire branch, John Apter: “The home secretary will have her own reasons for choosing Mr. Winsor over other credible candidates, at this time I am struggling to understand what they might be.”

A Home Office spokesman has said that the appointment of Winsor would go for approval to Prime Minister David Cameron and the Queen. He will also appear before the home affairs select committee for a pre-appointment hearing. 

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