Jon Barron

Nestrans – The Regional Transport Partnership for Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire.

I work in close partnership with local authority and a range of external partners, from community groups to national organisations, to;

• Determine and work towards delivering the priorities set out in Nestrans' Regional Transport Strategy and Active Travel Action Plan.
• Created and established projects that encouraged more people to consider walking, cycling, and wheeling as part of their daily lives.
• Coordinate infrastructure projects, ensuring both high quality designs and best value, such as the temporary Spaces for People interventions and the various regional multi-modal corridor studies.
• Promote the National Cycle Network (NCN) through securing significant unprecedented levels of investment, delivering a multi-year planned programme of bridge replacements.
• After learning the lessons from a temporary trial, I secured executive support and funding to help create, design and plan the delivery of a permanently signed quiet road cycle network for the north east.
• Secured Board endorsement for residents' group to install first community bike storage units in the city, conducted tenant surveys in multi-storey and flatted properties, revealing strong demand for additional units.
• I work closely with the Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (formerly Sustrans) colleagues and, since taking up post, have radically improved the relationship with them and our local authorities, succeeding in both now having embedded officers working with them, and facilitating Aberdeen finally becoming part of the Walking and Cycling Index.
• I work closely with Cycling Scotland colleagues by active participation in the delivery forum, the national cycling interests group and the monitoring sub-group.
• Led programme management, administration, governance, and financial oversight of Nestrans' People and Place Programme to deliver sustainable and active travel behaviour change projects, enhancing daily journeys by walking, wheeling, and cycling while connecting them to public transport options.
• Managed complex projects for successful completion within stipulated deadlines.
• Executed risk assessment strategies to mitigate potential project threats.
• Coordinated with different departments, ensuring seamless execution of projects.
• Negotiated contracts with vendors, securing cost-effective solutions for the company.
• Delivered high-quality outcomes with strict adherence to quality standards.

I proudly served as a police officer for thirty years and retired at the rank of Inspector in charge of the staff, equipment and resources for the Road Policing Unit of Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and Moray. I spent the majority of my career in Road Policing.

• as a Constable, I maintained safety in various north east communities through consistent application and commitment.
• as a Sergeant I managed teams, predominantly in operational roles, both in uniformed divisional response roles and road traffic patrol officers and provided enthusiastic and supportive coaching and mentoring so that they could develop and progress as professionals.

Both as a Sergeant and Inspector, I regularly supervised and managed missing person enquiries, often those considered at high-risk due to a range of factors. The urgency yet complex nature of these enquiries made them some of the most challenging to successfully respond to; from the persistent lack of available resource to properly attend to all the various tasks, to the lack of time available before the person might harm themselves or others, all the while with the ever-present desire to successfully save their life, find them unharmed and promptly return them home to love ones.

Throughout my career, I retained an appetite for further learning to expand my own knowledge and experience, to test myself and to provide enhance support for others. I was even more keen for others to experience learning and training to broaden and develop themselves, thereby helping the unit contribute more as a whole;

• I was a public order officer, often going into extreme situations that were particularly hostile and violent.
• Acted as a liaison officer to the Oil and Gas Industry during critical incidents offshore, creating systems for prompt and clear communication to the casualties' next of kin.
• Responded as Crisis and Hostage Negotiator to life-threatening situations over several years; employed de-escalation and conflict management techniques to successfully diffuse volatile circumstances, saving lives and providing crucial support to individuals in crisis.
• I was an Advanced Driver and Police Pursuit Tactical Advisor; compiling plans, often immediate, to effectively and efficiently bring potentially disastrous dynamic situations taking place on public roads to a swift resolution without injury or damage.
• I was a Road Crash/Collision Investigator and physically investigated the crash scenes and vehicles involved in hundreds of fatal crashes, establishing the physical causes and determining all of the contributory factors involved. I also oversaw national training in the discipline at Aberdeen University.
• Led enquiries as Road Crash Senior Investigation Officer into collisions resulting in loss of life or serious injury; prepared critical reports for Court, holding individuals accountable for their actions in fatal incidents.

Evidence of my career achievements attest that I have a proven track record and am well skilled in responding to high pressure, fast-paced and demanding situations, to leading effective and supported teams, to tirelessly helping others, and to working closely alongside others to bring about successful outcomes.