Emma Wools

Main Responsibilities

About Emma Wools

Emma has led multi agency teams, working in collaboration with a wide range of internal and external agencies, identifying and implementing opportunities for integrating services across the Criminal Justice System in Wales.

Working for Probation since 2001, Emma began her leadership journey coordinating Integrated Offender Management (IOM) in Cardiff. She was instrumental in developing this beacon of good practice, which contributed hugely to the current partnership landscape in Wales and national strategy and policy. Business Development and IOM Cymru Programme Management roles followed, before her most recent leadership role as Head of Offender Service Integration role, the first leadership role within National Offender Management Service holding responsibilities across Public Sector Prisons, National Probation Service and partnerships.

Having worked in this area for the last 15 years Emma is viewed among colleagues as an ‘expert’ in integrated working and as a result inspires confidence in senior leaders across the partnership. Beyond influencing and enthusing others around NOMS vision and purpose.

A key contributor to the development and delivery of the Wales Reducing Re-offending Strategy, which has contributed to reduced crime and re-offending across Wales.

Emma leads not just across her own organisation but across the Criminal Justice landscape in Wales and beyond. The potential benefits of integration, collaborative working and more joined up service delivery are huge, however the challenges to achieving this are significant. Influencing this agenda requires a very particular set of skills; an ambitious vision always looking forward; resilience, the ability to secure buy in from leaders at the highest level of organisations and to adapt her approach to work with staff throughout agencies.

These responsibilities and skills were recognised by the Leading Wales Awards 2016, as Next Generation Leader.

Emma assumed the role of Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner on the 14^th November 2016.  Emma leads across the four commissioners’ offices and criminal justice partners on the race equalities agenda, representing them on a local, regional, and national platform. She is the joint lead with DCC Bacon for race equality in South Wales Police, driving forward the joint race equality action plan.

The Ethnic Minority Welsh Women Achievement Association (EMWWAA) which is a charitable organisation that aims to create a network of women and girls of ethnic minority origin in Wales provide beacons of inspiration for current and upcoming generations held an awards ceremony in May 2023, this is held every 2 years, Emma was recognised for her Management and Leadership and received an award in this category.

Main Responsibilities

The main responsibilities of the Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner are to:

• Engage with relevant community groups, public bodies and organisations to better understand the policing needs of the community and to develop strategies to reduce crime and disorder. Liaising with the Commissioner on how these needs can best be met and incorporated within the Police and Crime Plan.
• Lead collaborative initiatives on crime reduction and community policing issues and be part of the team leading a number of specific initiatives in innovative practice and crime reduction.
• On behalf of the Commissioner, help to generate long-term policy proposals.
• Assist the Commissioner in liaising with the Chief Constable and his staff and liaise with organisations and individuals at regional and national levels.
• Help to brief Members of Parliament, Assembly Members, Councillors, government officials and other voluntary and criminal justice partners on the Commissioner’s policy.
• Engage with other Commissioners in Wales and England.
• Represent the authorised views of the Commissioner to the media where appropriate.
• In addition, the post holder must be prepared to undertake additional duties arising from changing circumstances, but which do not change the general character or level of responsibility of the post.
  Represent the Police and Crime Commissioner with members of the public, community groups, partner organisations and elected representatives, across South Wales and nationally.