{{Short description|Welsh politician and police officer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox officeholder | image = File:Arfon Jones 2.png | caption = Taken by Plaid Cymru photographer at the Plaid Cymru Conference. | name = Arfon Jones | office = [[North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner]] | term_start = 12 May 2016 | term_end = 12 May 2021 | predecessor = [[Winston Roddick]] | successor = [[Andy Dunbobbin]] | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1955|3}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | spouse = | party = [[Plaid Cymru]] (until 2021) | relations = | children = | alma_mater = | website = }} '''Owain Arfon Jones''' (born March 1955) is a Welsh police officer who was the [[Police and Crime Commissioner]] for [[North Wales Police]] from 2016 to 2021. He is a former member of [[Plaid Cymru]].<ref name="leaves">{{cite news|date=18 October 2021|title=Ex-Police and Crime Commissioner leaves Plaid Cymru because of a 'lack of strategy'|url=https://nation.cymru/news/ex-police-and-crime-commissioner-leaves-plaid-cymru-because-of-a-lack-of-strategy/|access-date=19 October 2021|website=Nation.Cymru|language=en-GB}}</ref>
==Police career== Jones had a long career in the North Wales Police, becoming Operational Inspector for the eastern division before retiring in 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.linkedin.com/pub/arfon-jones/79/17/752 |title=Arfon Jones |publisher=LinkedIn |accessdate=29 October 2014}}</ref>
==Political career== ===County councillor=== Jones served two full terms as county councillor for [[Gwersyllt West]] ward on [[Wrexham County Borough Council]] from 2008 until 2017.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://moderngov.wrexham.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=37&LLL=0 |title=Councillor Arfon Jones |accessdate=29 October 2014 |publisher=Wrexham County Borough Council |archive-date=29 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629180559/http://moderngov.wrexham.gov.uk/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=37&LLL=0 |url-status=dead }}</ref> He was lead member for Children's Social Care in the Wrexham administration. In December 2012, Jones was reprimanded by the Chief Executive of the council for sending [[Tweet (social media)|tweets]] from a council meeting, on the basis that council standing orders prohibiting TV or radio broadcasts of the proceedings included the phrase "transmitted in any way".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-north-east-wales-20692018 |title=Twitter ban: Wrexham councillor Arfon Jones urges rule change |date=12 December 2012 |publisher=BBC News |accessdate=29 October 2014}}</ref>
He stood as Plaid Cymru's candidate for the [[Wrexham (UK Parliament constituency)|Wrexham constituency]] in the [[2010 United Kingdom general election in Wales|2010 general election]].
===Police and Crime Commissioner=== Jones was elected [[North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner]] in the May 2016 election, succeeding [[Winston Roddick]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election-2016-wales-35987730|title=Police and crime commissioner elections: North Wales|website=BBC News|date=8 May 2016|access-date=14 May 2016}}</ref> At the election his main campaigning issues were [[Drug policy of the United Kingdom|drug law reform]] and tackling [[domestic abuse]]. During his term he instigated a six-month trial in [[Flintshire]] of [[Naloxone]], which acts as antidote to drugs overdoses, which was subsequently rolled out across North Wales.<ref name=nwc-20210506>{{cite news |url=https://www.northwaleschronicle.co.uk/news/19283045.retiring-police-boss-arfon-jones-hailed-champion-vulnerable-downtrodden/ |title=Retiring police boss Arfon Jones hailed champion of vulnerable and downtrodden |last=Canty |first=Terry |website=The North Wales Chronicle |date=6 May 2021 |access-date=1 May 2026}}</ref>
The major decision during his term of office was the appointment in 2019 of Carl Foulkes as Chief Constable of [[North Wales Police]].<ref name=nwc-20210506/>
He retired at the subsequent May 2021 election.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Plaid Leader Adam Price pays tribute to retiring North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones|url=https://www.partyof.wales/diolch_arfon_jones|access-date=2021-01-06|website=The Party of Wales|language=en}}</ref> He was succeeded by [[Andy Dunbobbin]] of the [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour Party]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Hemming|first=Jez|date=2021-05-09|title=Andy Dunbobbin elected as new North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner|url=https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/labours-andy-dunbobbin-voted-new-20559997|access-date=2021-05-10|website=North Wales Live|language=en}}</ref>
===Later activities=== In October 2021, in the wake of [[Metropolitan Police]] officer Wayne Couzens being sentenced to life imprisonment for the [[murder of Sarah Everard]], Jones called for an independent body to investigate [[domestic violence]] among police officers, and criticised those denying the "culture of sexism and misogyny" within the profession.<ref name="Wilks">{{cite news|url=https://www.thenational.wales/news/19626063.former-police-commissioner-slams-denial-police-misogyny/|title=Former North Wales PCC, Arfon Jones, condemns denial of policed misogyny|last=Wilks|first=Rebecca|date=5 October 2021|website=[[The National (Wales)|The National Wales]]|access-date=5 October 2021|language=en}}</ref> He told ''[[The National (Wales)|The National Wales]]'' of his opinion that Couzens's behaviour was not unique, but rather a product of police culture. He said that senior police officers should take action against colleagues who act inappropriately.<ref name="Wilks"/>
After the fatal stabbing of Conservative MP [[David Amess]] in October 2021, Jones said the stabbing was the result of a "government that divides and rules and sows hate, fear and division" and concluded people would respond violently. He later apologised for his tweet as "untimely and offensive".<ref>{{cite news|date=16 October 2021|title=Sir David Amess killing: Ex-police boss Arfon Jones faces backlash for tweet|language=en-GB|publisher=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-58939716|access-date=16 October 2021}}</ref> Two days later, Jones left Plaid Cymru after criticising the party for a "lack of strategy and a lack of success", and called for a new leader.<ref name="leaves"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://golwg.360.cymru/newyddion/gwleidyddiaeth/2055756-arfon-jones-dweud-adam-price-person-iawn-arwain|title=Arfon Jones yn dweud nad Adam Price yw'r person iawn i arwain Plaid Cymru|last=Bebb|first=Huw|date=22 June 2021|website=Golwg360}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Arfon}} [[Category:1955 births]] [[Category:Wrexham County Borough]] [[Category:Councillors in Wales]] [[Category:Police and crime commissioners in Wales]] [[Category:Plaid Cymru police and crime commissioners]] [[Category:Welsh-speaking politicians]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Plaid Cymru councillors]] [[Category:Welsh socialists]] [[Category:Welsh republicans]]
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