A new chief constable for Nottinghamshire Police will be selected by the end of the year.
Chief Constable Kate Meynell announced in October she will be retiring in March next year, after being diagnosed with cancer.
Ms Meynell said she was diagnosed in the spring and has been undergoing “intensive medical treatment”.
“Whilst the current prognosis is positive, the treatment continues, and I cannot foresee a time in the near future when I will be able to give my all to the role,” she said in a statement.
At a Nottinghamshire police and crime panel meeting on Monday (November 17) it was confirmed the role was being advertised and will close on December 1, before a decision is made mid-December.
Chief executive of the Office for the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC), Michelle Buttery, said: “After CC Maynell’s announcement she will be retiring next March we have started the appointment process, a recruitment process for the next chief constable, again to ensure a smooth transition.
“The panel does have a role in the process – for a confirmation hearing where there is an appointment of a chief constable. We can’t confirm a date for such confirmation hearing as yet because it would depend on the vetting and pre-employment checks of the successful candidate, whether or not that is external or internal, those checks must still have gone through.
“There is guidance nationally and regulations that require an advert to be open for at least three weeks, we are keeping it open for four weeks, there is then a two-day assessment process on December 11 and 12, after which the commissioner who chairs the interview panel will be making his decision very swiftly to notify the successful preferred candidate.
“So a significant step for the future of the force and the commissioner wants to attract the best field for that position.”
The panel’s independent chair, Christine Goldstraw, added: “She served our needs very amenably, and always was open and transparent – and we wish her a speedy recovery and we hope she enjoys her retirement.”
Ms Meynell expressed a wish to support the work of the Nottingham Inquiry, the public inquiry that is taking place following the Nottingham attacks in June 2023.
Acting Chief Constable Steve Cooper said: “I agreed in the spring to perform chief constable functions in Chief Constable Meynell’s absence, and my immediate focus is continuing to provide stability for the workforce and the people of Nottinghamshire during this period.”
