West Midlands Police welcomes new chief constable

David Thompson will officially take over as the highest ranking officer of the second largest force in England and Wales in January, following the retirement of Chris Sims.

Mr Thompson is the force's current deputy chief constable and was the only applicant for the post.

But he was still subjected to a 'rigorous' selection process by police and crime commissioner David Jamieson, who asked members of the public to contribute what they wanted in the job description.

He was also questioned by a group of young people, dubbed 'youth commissioners' and a citizens' panel.

The decision then had to be vetted by the West Midlands Police and Crime Panel, which includes councillors from across the seven boroughs and cities.

Mr Jamieson said: "The chief constable of West Midlands Police is one of the very top jobs in the country and I am delighted to announce David Thompson will take up the post.

"David Thompson is clearly the best person in the country to do the job. He has been a truly excellent deputy chief constable and I am sure he will be an excellent chief constable too.

"This is the most important decision that a Police and Crime Commissioner can make and I am very pleased to be appointing such a strong and capable officer to take West Midlands Police forward.

"Chris Sims has been a superb servant to the West Midlands and has made a huge contribution to policing across the country. I wish him all the best in the next period of his life."

Mr Thompson said: "I am delighted to be formally appointed as the next chief constable of West Midlands Police.

"It has been an honour to serve as deputy under Chief Constable Chris Sims and I am extremely proud of what we, as a force, have achieved during this time.

"With this in mind I will very much be looking to continue the fantastic work of Mr Sims, and will spending the next few months working closely with him to ensure a smooth handover.

"Moving forward I want to reiterate that the command team and I remain fully committed to the WMP2020 programme and while there are many challenges that lie ahead, I am confident we are in a fantastic position to face them head on.

"This is a truly outstanding force with some truly outstanding people - and there is nowhere else I would rather be serving the public."

From 2007 to 2010 Mr Thompson was assistant chief constable with Greater Manchester Police.

He was also responsible for counter terrorism.

Between 1999 and 2003 he led the policing of East Manchester including a key role in the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

He was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in 2014.