Gareth Pritchard appointed Deputy Chief Constable of North Wales Police.

Mr Pritchard has been acting DCC since the retirement of Ian Shannon earlier this year and takes up his new role at Force Headquarters Colwyn Bay immediately.

Chief Constable Mark Polin said;

“I am very pleased to announce that Gareth Pritchard has been appointed as the Deputy Chief Constable.

This is a key appointment and Gareth will bring many qualities to the role and offer continuity in the chief officer team, having served in a variety of positions over many years in different parts of the Force area.

 “It is also good to see someone born and bred in North Wales, and whose first language is Welsh, achieve such a prominent position in the area.”

 North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Winston Roddick said;

“I am delighted that Mr Gareth Pritchard has been appointed as the new Deputy Chief Constable of North Wales Police in succession to Mr Ian Shannon who retired earlier this year.

“Mr Pritchard knows each and every part of North Wales Police and each of its ranks intimately.”

“He is a native of north Wales, is fluent in Welsh and is a product of the north Wales community.”

“I am looking forward to working with him in his new role.”

 Gareth Pritchard said;

“It is a privilege to be selected as Deputy Chief Constable in my home force.”

 “I know the new role will be challenging, but with the continued support of my colleagues and working closely with the Commissioner, I believe we can further develop the work of the force to make North Wales safer.”

Gareth was brought up in Snowdonia and joined North Wales Police in 1984.

As a Constable he served at Wrexham Town, Corwen and on the Traffic Department at Wrexham.

In 1990 he was promoted to Sergeant at Rhyl and worked as a Patrol and Custody Sergeant and then in the Community Policing Team at Rhuddlan.

Between 1994 and 1997 he worked in the Corporate Development Department at Police Headquarters before moving to Flintshire as a Uniform Inspector.

Between 1998 and 2003 he served as a Chief Inspector and Superintendent in the Operational Support Division where he was responsible for armed response vehicles, firearms team, roads policing, dog section, helicopter and emergency planning.

Between 2003 and 2008 Gareth was the Divisional Commander for the Western Division covering the policing of Anglesey and Gwynedd. In 2008 he transferred to Police Headquarters and led Operation Quest, a Home Office initiative to improve the quality of service provided by the Force. 

After passing the National Strategic Command Course in 2010 he was appointed Assistant Chief Constable

Gareth is the National lead for Dangerous Dogs and holds the Dangerous Dogs Portfolio for Police in England and Wales. As part of this portfolio he liaises with both DEFRA and the Welsh Government seeking to improve public protection in this field.

Gareth is also ACPO lead for Search and Rescue nationally.

Gareth is married with four children.