Clive Loader

Air Chief Marshal
Sir Clive Loader
KCB, OBE, ADC, FRAeS

Sir Clive Loader in 2007
Police and Crime Commissioner
for Leicestershire Constabulary
Assumed office
15 November 2012
Preceded by Office created
Personal details
Born (1953-09-24) 24 September 1953
Nationality British
Political party Conservative
Spouse(s) Alison Leith, Lady Loader
Alma mater Judd School, Tonbridge
University of Southampton
Military service
Allegiance  United Kingdom
Service/branch  Royal Air Force
Years of service 1972–2009
Rank Air Chief Marshal
Commands No. 3 (Fighter) Squadron
RAF Laarbruch
Air Command
Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Officer of the Order of the British Empire

Air Chief Marshal Sir Clive Robert Loader KCB, OBE, ADC, FRAeS (born 24 September 1953) is a British politician and retired senior Royal Air Force officer. Since 2012, he has been Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicestershire. He served in the RAF from 1972 to 2009 and was the first Commander-in-Chief Air Command (CinC AIR).

Early life

Loader was born on 24 September 1953. From 1965 to 1971, he was educated at The Judd School, a grammar school in Tonbridge, Kent.[1] He then went on to study at the University of Southampton.

Military career

Loader joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1973.[2] He was posted as a junior officer to No 1 (F) Squadron at RAF Wittering and then IV (Army Cooperation) Squadron at RAF Gütersloh, Germany, flying Harriers.[2] He was promoted to squadron leader in 1984 and became a Flight Commander in Germany.[2] In 1989, he was promoted to wing commander and went briefly to RAF Rheindahlen before being made Personal Staff Officer to the Air Officer Commander-in-Chief RAF Strike Command.[2]

He was given command of No. 3 (F) Squadron, at RAF Laarbruch in 1993[3] in which role he took part in operations over Northern Iraq and Bosnia.[3] In 1995, he was promoted to group captain and attended the Higher Command and Staff College and then became Station Commander at RAF Laarbruch in 1996.[3]

Loader was promoted to air commodore in 1999 and became Air Commodore for the Harriers in 2000.[2] Promoted again, this time to air vice marshal, he was appointed as Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Operations) in 2002 and Deputy Commander-in-Chief RAF Strike Command, in the rank of air marshal, in 2004.[3] Promoted to air chief marshal in 2007, he became the first Commander-in-Chief of Air Command on 1 April of that same year.[3] He retired from the RAF in 2009.

Leicestershire and Rutland Police and Crime Commissioner

In April 2012, while serving as a parish councillor in Wing, Rutland, Loader announced he was seeking the Conservative nomination as the Leicestershire and Rutland Police and Crime Commissioner. He stated that Leicestershire Constabulary should operate to those same high standards of effectiveness, efficiency and professionalism that he embraced during his RAF career.[4] Loader was selected as the Conservative candidate on 26 May 2012.[5] He was opposed by Labour's Sarah Russell, Leicester deputy mayor and chair of the Safer Leicester Partnership which coordinates the police with other services,[6][7] and Suleman Nagdi, a community worker and businessman standing as an independent.[8]

He was elected to the role with 47% of the first choice vote in a turnout of only 16.36%, winning after second choice votes were taken into account.[9] 2.65% of the total votes cast were spoiled.[10] The turnout was one of the lowest ever seen in Leicestershire and Rutland leading University of Leicester criminologist Dr James Treadwell to ask if the £75m national cost of the elections was money well spent.[11]

In office

Loader was sworn in on 21 November 2012. He said the main change was that the public now had a person they could approach if they had problems with particular aspects of policing priorities.[12] In an interview with East Midlands BBC in June 2013, following Keith Vaz's questions about the role of police commissioners in general and criticisms of their effectiveness in several neighbouring counties, particularly Lincolnshire, Loader acknowledged MPs' concerns and was shown visiting inner city Leicester in a "charm offensive" intended to improve confidence in the police.[13]

Loader took Blaby District Council to judicial review after it granted planning permission for 4,250 new homes at Lubbesthorpe.[14] Loader had wanted the £2m allocated for police vehicles, communication equipment and buildings to be available "in the early stages" adding that delay would have an unacceptable impact on services and the situation was untenable. The judge found in favour of the council and the commissioner's actions were criticised as a waste of time and public money.[15][16]

In August 2015, Loader said he was unaware, but should have been informed of, a three months experimental scheme by Leicestershire police to save money by only investigating burglaries at even numbered properties. The force has had its budget cut by 17% with more expected. Jonathan Ashworth, one of a number of critics, said the scheme was "ridiculous and haphazard" and he would write to the Home Secretary.[17]

In December 2015 Loader thanked G4S for a feasibility report on handling emergency calls to the Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire police which they believed could enable more money to be spent on front line policing but said the police "preferred to be masters of their own destiny."[18]

Personal life

In 1976 he married Alison Leith.[3] The couple live in Wing, Rutland.[19] Together, they have three sons; Matt (born 1980), Tom (born 1982) and Edward (born 1988).[2] They were all educated at Bedford School, where Loader is a school governor.[3] He is a keen military historian.[3]

Honours and awards

References

  1. "Development fund" (pdf). The Judd School. p. 3. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 RAF Biography
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 School Governors Bedford School
  4. campaign website
  5. "Sir Clive 'wired to serve community'" Leicester Mercury 28 May 2012
  6. "Labour PCC hopeful Sarah Russell will not defend cuts". BBC News. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 26 October 2012.
  7. "Leicester City councillor Sarah Russell hoping to run police". This is Leicestershire.
  8. "Rivals go head-to-head in race to be Leicestershire's first police tsar". This is Leicestershire.
  9. "LIVE UPDATES: PCC election results in Leicestershire as they are declared", thisisleicestershire.co.uk, 16 November 2012, retrieved 16 November 2012
  10. Harry Harold (data) (16 November 2012). "PCC election results 2012: what's happened in the police and crime commissioner votes". The Guardian (London).
  11. Ciaran Fagan (17 November 2012). "Ex-RAF chief Sir Clive Loader wins Leicestershire and Rutland PCC election – after 16% turnout". Leicester Mercury. Retrieved 19 November 2012.
  12. "East Midlands PCCs are sworn in". BBC News Lincolnshire. 21 November 2012. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  13. John Hess (21 June 2013). "Police commissioners: Role called to account by MPs". BBC news East Midlands. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  14. "PCC Sir Clive Loader's Lubbesthorpe housing plan opposition overruled" BBC News 27 May 2014
  15. "Council leader criticises Leicestershire's police boss over costs of Lubbesthorpe homes plan court case" Leicester Mercury" 28 May 2014
  16. "Police boss Sir Clive Loader faces grilling on failed Lubbesthorpe homes legal case" Leicester Mercury" 28 May 2014
  17. "Leicestershire police 'ignore' attempted burglaries at odd-numbered houses". BBC news. 5 August 2015. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
  18. "Three East Midlands police forces reject G4S control room deal". BBC news. December 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  19. "Sir Clive Loader is ready to start new police role" at rutland-times.co.uk
  20. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 54255. p. 7. 30 December 1995. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
  21. The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 57855. p. 2. 31 December 2005. Retrieved 21 September 2013.
Military offices
Preceded by
R M Thomas
Officer Commanding No 3(F) Squadron
1993–1995
Succeeded by
A F P Dezonie
Preceded by
M G F White
Station Commander RAF Laarbruch
1996–1999
Post disestablished
Preceded by
Unknown
Air Commodore Harrier
2000–2001
Succeeded by
Unknown
Preceded by
Unknown
Assistant Chief of the Defence Staff (Operations)
2002–2004
Succeeded by
Nick Houghton
Preceded by
Sir Glenn Torpy
Deputy Commander-in-Chief RAF Strike Command
2004–2007
Succeeded by
Command disbanded
New title
Command established by merging:
Strike Command (C-in-C Joe French)
Personnel and Training Command (C-in-C Barry Thornton)
Commander-in-Chief Air Command
2007–2009
Succeeded by
Sir Chris Moran
Honorary titles
Preceded by
Sir Joe French
Air Aide-de-Camp to Her Majesty The Queen
2007–2009
Succeeded by
Sir Chris Moran
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