Trinity barrister, Katherine Wood has been appointed as a Legally Qualified Chair for the Offices of the Police and Crime Commissioners for Northumbria, Durham, Cleveland, North Yorkshire, Humberside, West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire.
Katherine will sit at Police Misconduct Hearings as part of a panel of three, including a lay member and senior police officer. The panel hears cases of alleged serious misconduct by police officers with the maximum sanction being dismissal from the police service.
As legally qualified chair, Katherine's role will include reading the papers in advance of any hearing, chairing the proceedings in accordance with the relevant regulations and providing full written reasons for the decision reached by the misconduct hearing.
Katherine's appointment lasts for 4 years commencing in January 2021. The sitting days will be on a rotation basis, enabling Katherine, who is also a a qualified family finances arbitrator and member of the Institute of Family Law Arbitrators, to continue with her busy Family and Child Care practice.