Northamptonshire PFCC Danielle Stone Reflects on Initial Seven Months

Northamptonshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner (PFCC) described her initial seven months in the position as “a bit of a rollercoaster.” Danielle Stone, representing Labour, assumed the role in May, succeeding Conservative Stephen Mold, who chose not to seek re-election following misogynistic comments. Ms. Stone participated in an interview segment on BBC Radio Northampton’s breakfast show, where she shared insights. Reflecting on her brief tenure, Ms. Stone, who previously worked as a teacher and served as a West Northamptonshire councillor, stated she has gained an understanding of the complexities of the services under her supervision. She remarked, “It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster because I had lots to learn.” She further elaborated, “We all think we know about the police but we don’t, do we? It’s a very complicated area of work and then I have fire as well, which is lovely. “I’ve had a lot of learning to do and I have been delighted with the people I have met in the police and the fire service who are up for change.” Her election occurred during a period of instability within both Northamptonshire Police and Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS). Chief Constable Nick Adderley was suspended and subsequently dismissed for misrepresenting his career history. Concurrently, an inquiry into the appointment of fire chief Nikki Watson concluded with no case to answer. However, Ms. Stone expressed her belief that both services are now “marching in the right direction.” After her election, the PFCC had identified building trust in the county’s police and fire services as a priority. She noted that having settled into her position, this objective is advancing, with a focus on providing “visible and accessible policing.” Ms. Stone indicated that the services are operating “within our limited resources,” but stated that preliminary plans to raise the police and fire precept components of the county’s council tax are expected to aid in implementing a neighbourhood policing strategy. This proposed increase, currently subject to public consultation, suggests that households in band D would contribute an additional minimum of £15 annually for the police precept and £5 annually for the fire service. She mentioned that Northamptonshire currently has approximately 1.9 police officers per 1,000 residents, and acting chief constable Ivan Balhatchet has indicated that this figure should increase to 2.8 police officers per 1,000 residents. Ms. Stone affirmed, “We are going to do it within our limited resources.” A report in September highlighted “a lack of progress” within NFRS, attributed to “recent constant changes in leadership.” Last month, the departure of fire deputy Simon Tuhill, who was appointed as the new chief fire officer of West Midlands Fire Service, further contributed to recent “instability.” Ms. Stone commented, “We all loved Simon and he made a big impact in Northamptonshire, through some sticky times. We are very grateful for him.” She continued, “We expect good people to be ambitious. [There is] cultural difficulty full stop, in every walk of life.” She further stated, “The world is male shaped, designed by men, for men. We have got to change that and it is being changed. “There’s me and my wonderful deputy [Marianne Kimani], Nikki Watson in fire, and we have senior women coming through in the police service.” Ms. Stone noted that Northamptonshire Police has experienced a “double whammy” of diminished public trust, stemming from both national concerns and the “reputational” harm resulting from Nick Adderley’s public dismissal. She anticipated that an offer for the new police chief position would be extended by January 12, with the successful candidate commencing duties shortly thereafter. Despite these challenges, she reported that “all the feedback I’m getting is people are feeling a lot happier.” Ms. Stone also mentioned that she had “set my stall out” to act as a “critical friend to the fire service and police,” intending to foster better relationships. She concluded, “I think there is a real sense of a shared endeavour.” The PFCC characterized her initial period in the role as “very busy,” involving “lots of figures to have a look at and lots of reading to do.” When describing a typical workday, she explained that she must “keep an eye on the budget” and has “lots of people to meet and decisions to make.” She stated that she is based at the PFCC office in Wellingborough for two or three days weekly and dedicates significant time to community engagement, which includes visiting all of the county’s full-time fire stations and is “working through” visiting the retained fire stations.