Cambridgeshire: New Deputy Top Cop

28 August 2013, 06:00 | Updated: 28 August 2013, 06:57

Cambridgeshire Police's new Deputy Chief Constable has said he will not avoid the difficult issues facing the force in coming years.

Alec Wood, 48, formerly Temporary Deputy Chief Constable for Lincolnshire Police has become deputy to Chief Constable Simon Parr this week.

Mr Wood, who replaces John Feavyour, said: "Unlike many other forces, the constabulary had identified a clear way of dealing with funding cuts but, like his predecessor, he would be open about the challenges. 

The fundamental purpose of policing is to deliver the best possible service to the public to keep them safe and protect the most vulnerable. 

I am passionate about the service we provide and my role as DCC is to enable the force to provide that service in the most efficient and effective way it can.

I want to be as visible as I can be to as many people as possible. 

I will get across the county and meet, listen to and talk to as many people as I can to get the best possible understanding of the issues we face.".

Heart asked DCC Wood with current savings of £16 million underway by 2015 on a £110 million budget, what cuts are likely in future and how will they be achieved?

"The force's drive to save time and money by making the best use of currently available technology would be vital to meeting the financial challenges it faces. 

We need to do business differently while preserving the front line. 

The force's programme to find technological solutions has been properly thought out and I will be looking for ways to support its delivery, making sure it continues to head in the right direction.

I do not see many other forces with similar funding issues identifying such a clear and transformational way of solving the funding problem and that makes Cambridgeshire Constabulary different. "

Mr Wood, who is married with two grown-up children, a daughter and son, was born in Lincoln but his parents quickly moved to Buckden, where they lived for a time before moving to Wyton where he attended Houghton and Wyton Primary School.

His main police service has been in Lincolnshire, joining in 1986 and served in both uniform and CID roles. 

He was a senior investigating officer for a number of years and also the head of crime, during which time he oversaw a number of complex murder and serious crime investigations.