New Head of Crime and Operational Support at North Yorkshire Police

Following the outcome of a selection process last Friday, Nikki Shimwell has been appointed as our new Detective Chief Superintendent for Head of Crime and Operational Support.

Nikki is currently Head of Serious and Organised Crime (SOC) for South Yorkshire Police.

The selection panel was chaired by the Chief Constable Tim Forber and Deputy Chief Constable Scott Bisset, along with Emma Phillips, Head of Children Partnerships and Evaluation at North Yorkshire Council as the independent member. The panel was observed by a member of the force’s Superintendents’ Association.

Speaking about the process, Tim Forber said: “This is a critical appointment for North Yorkshire Police as we continue the force’s journey to become outstanding. Nikki is an experienced PIP3 SOC Senior Investigating Officer (SIO), a kidnap and extortion SIO, and tactical firearms commander. She also brings experience of working with priority-based budgeting, which is a key part of the force’s financial strategy.

“I have been involved in selecting Superintendents and Chief Superintendents for about ten years and this was by far the strongest field of candidates that I have interviewed. Three of the five candidates were external, which speaks of how well the force is being viewed.

“I look forward to welcoming Nikki to the force in the next few months.”

Nikki has spent 25 years working with South Yorkshire Police and has been their Head of SOC for the last two years. Previously she has been a Detective Inspector in Rotherham, Detective Chief Inspector in Doncaster and Detective Superintendent in Sheffield. She has a Master's degree and an expertise in modern slavery.