Police appoint first female Superintendent

Monday 04 January 2021

A Police officer who has spent nearly 20 years serving the island has become the first woman to be appointed to the permanent role of Superintendent in Jersey's force.

Alison Fossey joined the States of Jersey Police in 2002 after 10 years of service with Strathclyde and the Lothian and Borders Police.

Now Head of Uniformed Services, the new Superintendent will oversee Community Policing (including 24/7 response), volume crime investigations, the custody suite, the communications centre, firearms and learning and development, as well as retaining some of her existing portfolio.

She will also be stepping into the position of Deputy Chief Officer - a role that will be held on a rotational basis with Detective Superintendent Stewart Gull, who is taking it on from today.

Pictured: Alison Fossey and Stewart Gull will hold the role of second-in-command at the Police on a rotational basis.

The senior staffing changes follow the departure of long-serving Deputy Designate James Wileman, who left the force at the end of last year to pursue a new career with Jersey Sport.

Police Chief Robin Smith said of Superintendent Fossey's promotion: "Alison first and foremost is an experienced and highly skilled senior police officer and I'm delighted to welcome her back to the Senior Management Team on a permanent basis.

"She has enormous credibility, is hugely knowledgeable in both uniformed and detective roles and will be instrumental in the delivery of our strategic priorities, ensuring we continue to deliver the high-class policing service the island knows and rightly expects. Alison is also the first female superintendent to be promoted in the States of Jersey Police on a permanent basis and I'm very confident others will be inspired to follow in her footsteps."

Pictured: Jersey's Police Chief said he was "very confident" other women would follow in the new Superintendent's footsteps in taking up senior roles in the force.

Superintendent Fossey added: "I'm really proud to be heading up the States of Jersey Police's Uniformed Services.

"Following a recruitment drive last year, and the recent expansion of our Community Policing Team, there is a lot of work going on in the force's response side of policing which I'm delighted to now be leading."