Joy Allen, Police and Crime Commissioner for County Durham and Darlington

Joy was elected in May 2021 to the position of Police and Crime Commissioner for County Durham and Darlington and has spent most of her career working in the public sector for Durham Constabulary, Sedgefield Borough Council, Middlesbrough Council and County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, as Head of Service and Area Manager for Community Safety. 

She was elected to Durham County Council in 2013 and appointed to the Cabinet in 2015, where she held the Safer Communities Portfolio.
 
In 2017 Joy was appointed to lead Durham County Council’s Transformation Programme. She was then elected as Mayor of Bishop Auckland in 2019 and was a cabinet member for Transformation, Culture and Tourism, before going on to take on her current role.
 
Commissioner Allen is the APCC Joint Lead for Alcohol and Substance Misuse, looking to address the detrimental effects of addiction and substance misuse in our communities. She also holds the title as Joint Lead for Environment and Sustainability and Deputy Lead for Road Safety and Emergency Service Collaboration.