OLIVIA Pinkney has been appointed Hampshire’s new chief constable.

She will take the helm at Hampshire Constabulary on April 4 after a decision by the police and crime panel yesterday.

Ms Pinkney, currently deputy chief constable at Sussex police, was hailed as an “outstanding candidate” after passing a selection process involving 18 partner groups.

She said: “I’m absolutely delighted to hear the panel’s decision and I look forward to leading the professionals within Hampshire Constabulary and serving the communities across the county and the Isle of Wight.”

Panel chairman Cllr David Stewart, said: “The panel has unanimously agreed that Olivia Pinkney was an outstanding candidate for this position. The way in which she answered each of the questions posed by the panel has demonstrated her suitability for the role, meaning that Hampshire and the Isle of Wight now have a new chief constable of exceptionally high calibre.”

Councillors on the panel learnt more about Ms Pinkney as she answered 19 questions on her values, policies and plans to keep the county safe.

Ms Pinkney highlighted what she described as her experience, integrity and commitment to diversity.

She told the meeting: “I do believe I’m clear on what needs to be done. That’s building on the great work that’s already there, building on the great partnerships that already exist but also taking it to the next level.

“I believe policing can only succeed if it has the trust of the community it serves and for that we need to be the epitome of integrity and also be highly transparent in what we do, even if that hurts sometimes.”

She added: “If I go back 30 years or 25 years, policing was, in my view, professionally arrogant. It was ‘we know best and that’s that’. There’s no place for that in modern society.”

Ms Pinkney pledged to carry her battle against child sexual exploitation to Hampshire from Sussex, where she led an initiative dubbed Operation Kite.

She added: “I give you my commitment to being here for as long as you want me.”

Police and crime commissioner Simon Hayes, who recommended her to replace former Hampshire chief Andy Marsh, said: “Mrs Pinkney in my view has the experience, has the dignity, has the understanding and the humility needed to be a modern chief constable in the modern era.”

The Cambridge maths graduate has previously served as assistant inspector at the national police watchdog and assistant chief constable for Sussex and Surrey Police.

Her salary will start at £141,599, rising annually and reaching £173,065 in her fourth year.

Questioned on her experience, she said that in Sussex she had tackled several murders, a major child grooming case and the police response to the Shoreham air disaster, which killed 11 people last year.

After the meeting she told the Daily Echo: “For me, personally and professionally, this is a brilliant constabulary to join.

“It always has been and will be a really impressive police force working for the people of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.”

She added: “There are a lot of Pinkneys in Hampshire so it would be great to work near them.”