Jim Gamble

{{Short description|British police officer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2022}} {{multiple| {{coi|date=September 2022}} {{advert|date=September 2022}} }} {{Infobox person | name = Jim Gamble | honorific_suffix = QPM | image = Jim Gamble being interviewed at the BBC Belfast Studio.jpg | birth_place = Bangor, Northern Ireland | birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1959|11}} | occupation = CEO of INEQE Safeguarding Group }}

'''James Gamble''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|QPM}} (born November 1959) is a British former police officer and head of Belfast region for the now disbanded RUC Special Branch.

Gamble was the head of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (CEOP) Centre in the United Kingdom until 2010, and is now CEO of the INEQE Safeguarding Group.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Admin |title=About |url=https://ineqe.com/about/ |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=Ineqe Safeguarding Group |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Career== ===RUC Special Branch=== Gamble's father was in the Royal Air Force. Before joining the Royal Ulster Constabulary as a constable, Gamble served in the Royal Military Police.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Chris |last=Kilpatrick |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/opinion/columnists/jim-gamble-i-was-under-threat-but-was-more-fearful-for-my-family-30283285.html |title=Jim Gamble: 'I was under threat but was more fearful for my family' |newspaper=Belfast Telegraph |date=19 May 2014}}</ref> Early in his career he was head of the Royal Ulster Constabulary anti-terrorist intelligence unit in Belfast, then Deputy Director General (with the rank of deputy chief constable) of the National Crime Squad, which in April 2006, merged into the Serious Organised Crime Agency. He was also the head of the Belfast Region of the RUC Special Branch.<ref name="BBC Crime Agency Block">{{cite news|title=Crime agency block 'will hamper policing'|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-22524011|accessdate=14 May 2013|publisher=BBC News|date=14 May 2014}}</ref>

====Application to lead PSNI==== In 2009, Hugh Orde resigned as Police Service of Northern Ireland chief constable.<ref name="Police chief shortlist revealed">[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8132059.stm "Police chief shortlist revealed"], BBC News, 3 July 2000. Accessed 2009-06-03.</ref> Gamble applied for the position, which he stated was his primary goal, but was eventually unsuccessful with the position being filled by Matt Baggott, the former chief constable of Leicestershire who was the successful candidate.<ref name="shortlisted">{{cite news|title='Four to contest Orde's PSNI post'|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/8194474.stm|access-date=11 August 2019|publisher=BBC News|date=14 September 2024}}</ref>

Gamble stated that he believed his background as an RUC Special Branch officer may have been a factor in why he was not selected for the role and that his RUC background may have been "unhelpful and perhaps unhealthy for the service".<ref name="Police chief shortlist revealed"/><ref name="quits">{{cite news|title='Head of online child protection quits'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/oct/04/chief-online-child-protection-quits|accessdate=4 October 2010|publisher=The Guardian|date=14 September 2024}}</ref>

===National Criminal Intelligence Service=== Gamble led the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) fight against child sex abuse. He also presided over Operation Ore.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=5 October 2010|title=Profile: Jim Gamble {{!}} BBC|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11475271|access-date=2020-11-30|website=BBC|language=en}}</ref> He led the work to set up the National Crime Squad's specialist response cell – the Paedophile and Online Investigation Team (POLIT). He was awarded the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) in the 2008 New Year Honours.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/honours-sundries-qpm-qsfm-767233.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220608/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/honours-sundries-qpm-qsfm-767233.html |archive-date=8 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Honours: Sundries (QPM, QSFM)|date=29 December 2007|work=The Independent}}</ref>

Gamble was a co-author on the UK's first Domestic Homicide Review (Pemberton) and in 2010 was appointed by the then Home Secretary to lead the initial scoping review of the investigation into the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.<ref>{{Cite news |first=Christopher |last=Leebody |date=22 April 2022 |title=Madeleine McCann case development most significant in 15 years, says child safety expert Jim Gamble |url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/madeleine-mccann/madeleine-mccann-case-development-most-significant-in-15-years-says-child-safety-expert-jim-gamble-41578143.html |access-date=2022-09-23 |newspaper=Belfast Telegraph |language=en}}</ref>

Gamble resigned as CEO of CEOP in October 2010.<ref name="channel4 ceop quit">{{cite news|last=Israel|first=Simon|date=4 October 2010|title=Online child protection boss Jim Gamble quits|newspaper=Channel 4 News|url=http://www.channel4.com/news/online-child-protection-boss-jim-gamble-quits|accessdate=14 May 2013}}</ref> He then created the 'INEQE Safeguarding Group'.

Gamble has been called to give evidence at the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse (IICSA) on two occasions. The first related to child abuse on the internet, and the second to faith-based institutions.<ref>{{Cite web|date=21 November 2019|title=Witness Statement of Jim Gamble QPM |url=https://www.iicsa.org.uk/key-documents/20909/view/HAC000001.pdf|access-date=2022-09-23|website=IICSA Website|language=en}}</ref>

==Labour Party membership== In 2015, Gamble joined the Labour Party in Northern Ireland. Gamble stated that he wanted Labour candidates to be allowed to stand in Northern Ireland, but that he would have no plans to run himself.<ref name="LPNI">{{cite news|last=Page|first=Chris|date=30 September 2015|title=Jim Gamble: Ex-CEOP boss joins Labour Party in Northern Ireland|newspaper=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-34399772|accessdate=14 May 2022}}</ref> Later that year Gamble voted for Yvette Cooper during the Labour Party leadership election.<ref name="LPNI">{{cite news|last=Page|first=Chris|date=30 September 2015|title=Jim Gamble: Ex-CEOP boss joins Labour Party in Northern Ireland|newspaper=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-34399772|accessdate=14 May 2022}}</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gamble, Jim}} Category:Living people Category:People from Bangor, County Down Category:Police Service of Northern Ireland officers Category:Northern Irish recipients of the Queen's Police Medal Category:Royal Ulster Constabulary officers Category:British police chief officers Category:Royal Military Police soldiers Category:1959 births Category:Police officers from County Down Category:Labour Party (UK) people