Meredydd John Hughes is a retired British police officer. He served as Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police from 1 September 2004 to 2011. Hughes started his career at South Wales Constabulary in 1979, and was transferred to West Yorkshire Police in 1995 to a position of Superintendent. He was promoted in 1999 to the rank of Assistant Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police. In 2002 he moved to South Yorkshire Police to take over the position of Deputy Chief Constable, before becoming the force's Chief Constable in 2004. He was awarded the

Queen's Police Medal The King's Police Medal (KPM) is awarded to police in the United Kingdom for gallantry or distinguished service. It was also formerly awarded within the wider British Empire, including Commonwealth countries, most of which now have their own hono ...

in the 2006 New Year Honours. During his career Hughes held a number of operational responsibilities, including work as a firearms officer, IT Project manager, and Silver Commander of games held at Leeds United F.C. As a senior manager, he was responsible for Operational Support, Uniform Operations, Press & PR, Professional Standards and Information Systems during various stages of his career. As a member of ACPO, he was the Chair of Roads Policing Enforcement Technology Committee and Vice Chair of the National Operations Forum and Chair of the Drivers Project (placing new databases such as drivers and motor insurance records on PNC), until resigning the post in December 2007. As Assistant Chief Constable in Greater Manchester, Hughes commanded the planning and delivery of the

2002 Commonwealth Games The 2002 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XVII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Manchester 2002, were an international multi-sport event for the members of the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth held in Manchester, England, ...

policing operation. Whilst Chief Constable in South Yorkshire, the Force was rated by the HMIC as one of the four most improved forces in the country. He led the response to the South Yorkshire flooding of 2007, and dealt with a number of major events and incidents, retaining his status as a Gold Public Order and Firearms Commander. Hughes was a member of the

Association of Chief Police Officers The Association of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales and Northern Ireland (ACPO) was a not-for-profit private limited company that for many years led the development of policing practices in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Established ...

, serving as ACPO's Head of Roads Policing and then as Head of the Uniformed Operations Business Area. His responsibilities included the oversight of all ACPO's firearms issues, public order, roads policing, specialist operations and emergency planning. He retired having worked on part of the police planning for the

2012 Olympic Games The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

and also oversaw changes to the service following Stockwell and the 2009 G-20 London summit protests. In 2005 he led the ACPO team co-ordinating the England and Wales resources for the G8 Summit at Gleneagles, and played a role in the national response to the

7 July 2005 London bombings The 7 July 2005 London bombings, also referred to as 7/7, were a series of four co-ordinated suicide attacks carried out by Islamist terrorists that targeted commuters travelling on Transport in London, London's public transport during the ...

. In 2010 he coordinated the policing of the Papal visit. He retired from the police service in October 2011, and is a Company Director and Consultant. The Institute of Directors (IoD) named him as "Chartered Director of the Year 2011" in September 2011 Hughes was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours.

Traffic controversy

Hughes received press attention through being prosecuted for exceeding the speed limit in

North Wales North Wales ( ) is a Regions of Wales, region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdon ...

in May 2007. He received a 42-day driving ban and fine for the offence, imposed by Wrexham Magistrates Court on 5 December 2007. At the time of the offence he was Chair of the Roads Policing Enforcement Technology Committee for ACPO, resigning this position at the time of the court summons. He had also argued for less conspicuous Speed Cameras. In 2006 Hughes was fined £500 by Rotherham Magistrates Court for failing to identify the driver of a South Yorkshire Police vehicle, as a result of him mounting a prosecution against himself.

Politics

In 2012, he revealed his intentions to stand as a Labour Party candidate for the South Yorkshire Police Police and Crime Commissioner, despite previously stating the creation of the position was a mistake. The nomination was contested between Hughes, Anglican Priest Alan Billings and Shaun Wright, a

magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...

and local

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

. Shaun Wright won the nomination and was subsequently elected as the PCC.

Jay Report

In August 2014 Jay Report was published and outlined the widespread sexual abuse (and associated criminality) of young white girls in Rotherham by Britons of predominantly Pakistani origin. The report highlighted that the police did not respond appropriately to reports of abuse by concerned parents and guardians of the victims. Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police when the majority of criminality occurred - 2004-11 - was Meredydd Hughes.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Meredydd British Chief Constables People from South Yorkshire Welsh recipients of the Queen's Police Medal Living people People from Cardiff Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Labour Party (UK) people Year of birth missing (living people)