Northamptonshire PFCC candidate will reverse fire chief's appointment

Ana Savage Gunn said that if she is elected as PFCC Nikki Watson will not lead Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service

A police, fire and crime commissioner (PFCC) election candidate has said she would reverse a decision to appoint Northamptonshire's chief fire officer.

A complaint about Nikki Watson, the former deputy chief constable of Avon and Somerset Police, is being investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Liberal Democrat candidate Ana Savage Gunn said the role should be filled by someone with fire service experience.

The PFCC election takes place on 2 May.

Martyn Emberson (Conservative) and Danielle Stone (Labour) are also standing at the election, which will select a successor for incumbent Tory PFCC Stephen Mold who said he would stand down over misogynistic comments he made about Ms Watson.

Mr Mold's decision to appoint Ms Watson was preceded by the controversial appointment of his friend Nicci Marzec - who had no operational experience for the role and ultimately resigned 10 days after taking up the position last July.

Serving PFCC Stephen Mold said he had decided to "do the right thing" and not seek re-election.

Ms Savage Gunn - a former Northamptonshire police officer - said she wanted to run for the post of PFCC because she was "angry with what's been happening in the commissioner's office".

The Liberal Democrat joined the force in 1985 and rose to the rank of inspector, serving across the county. She also helped run security for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and later became a law enforcement consultant in the US, before her return to the UK and Northamptonshire in 2017.

She said: "[Northamptonshire was] one of the most highly regarded and respected police services and fire services in the country and that's not the case now. I want to bring us back to where it was.

"I'd like a chief fire officer that has experience because they will be on the ground. I would not have appointed somebody that is still under investigation for something arising from their previous job. It's not serving fire officers well."

The BBC has also spoken to the Conservative and Labour candidates ahead of next month's election.

• Pledges 'visible leadership' - PFCC candidate

• Lack of experience 'an advantage' - PFCC candidate

The Labour candidate, Ms Stone, said she did not think Ms Watson should have been appointed into the role of chief fire officer before the conclusion of the IOPC's investigation.

She said that if the investigation found there was not a case against Ms Watson, she "would want to comply with employment law" and said Ms Watson would serve a "probationary period" to "review if she was really the right person for the job.

Conservative candidate Mr Emberson said: "While I can't delve into specific employment matters due to employment legalities, rest assured that if I'm elected, I will undertake a comprehensive review and draw my own conclusions based on the evidence at hand."

Ms Savage Gunn - who has pledged to improve the fire service's response times and its staff morale - previously fought in the 2021 PFCC election for the Liberal Democrats, coming third with 15% of the vote.

The BBC will be speaking to all of the PFCC candidates ahead of the election.