New chief appointed to run Wigan police

Chief Supt Emily Higham has been appointed district commander for the area as part of a major shake up of force leaders by new Greater Manchester Chief Constable Stephen Watson.

She returns to GMP following secondment as head of the North West Regional Crime Unit.

Chief Supt Watson has spent a significant portion of her career in detective roles, including as a chief inspector in professional standards and as a superintendent with responsibililty for GMPs serious and organised crime group.

An introduction to the officer, describes her as "passionate about supporting the victims of crime and during her career has done much work to improve their experience of the criminal justice system.

"This includes leading the training programme for magistrates, judges, prosecutors and media representatives ahead of the establishment of the first domestic violence court in Greater Manchester."

Her appointment comes on the back of a commitment by Chief Constable Watson to have a dedicated, accountaable chief superintendent in charge of each Greater Manchester district, a model which has not been used for a number of years.

Seven new district commanders, including Chief Supt Higham, join three already established commanders and complete a new look local policing leadership structure.

Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods QPM said: "This has been without question the most ambitious senior recruitment process that has ever been seen in Greater Manchester Police, and I'm pleased to be able to update the public on our progress.

"Since his arrival, Chief Constable Watson has been very clear in his belief that local policing plays a crucial part in preventing crime and keeping the public safe, and I think that has been reflected in our determination to appoint a dedicated chief superintendent to each district.

"We are confident that strengthening local leadership in this way will significantly improve how we work with partners and provide more accountability, which will set us straight if we start to stray from our purpose.

"However local policing alone cannot solve all of our problems so we have made a number of other crucial chief superintendent appointments.

"Making these appointments is a great stride in the right direction on our journey to improve GMP and provide an effective service to the people of Greater Manchester, which we can all be proud of."

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