New chief constable named
Staffordshire's top cop has been named as the new chief constable of West Midlands Police.
Chris Sims, 49, was only with Staffordshire's force for 18 months. But now the father-of-three was announced as the man to take over from Sir Paul Scott-Lee, who is retiring next month after seven years at the helm.
Chief Constable Mr Sims, who has led a purge on form filling to keep his officers out on patrol, said the new £172,000-a-year role was "a privilege."
He said: "I want to say thank you to my colleagues in Staffordshire who have prepared me for this challenge.
"I am looking forward to the challenge of serving the people of the West Midlands and taking the service on to new heights."
Sims was one of two applicants who went for the role, beating Matt Baggott, another former West Midlands Police officer, following a gruelling two-day interview with police chiefs.
The Oxford graduate joined the Staffordshire force in September 2007 and since then has introduced new working practices.
He recently attracted national interest with his calls for a return to 'common sense' policing. He has also overseen Staffordshire Police's involvement in a pilot project to test out a reduction in red tape for officers to allow them to spend more time on the beat.
The move came after it emerged one of his officers was behind an on-line diary called Wasting Police Time, that described bureaucracy in the job as stifling.
He worked for West Midlands Police before his current appointment, serving as deputy chief constable for three years, and was previously both a detective and a divisional commander with Staffordshire Police.
Chairman of West Midlands Police Authority, Councillor Diana Holl-Allen, said she would have expected more than two applicants for the job.
But she added she is confident Chief Constable Sims will build on the "proven success of West Midlands Police".
