New West Midlands Police chief to replace sacked boss
A new assistant chief constable has been appointed at West Midlands Police to replace Marcus Beale.
Chris Johnson, aged 50, has secured the role with responsibilities including response teams, operations, public contact and the Central Motorway Police Group.
Marcus Beale was the last ACC to hold the role of head of ops before he was sacked last month after top secret documents were stolen from the boot of his car.
Asked if ACC Johnson was a direct replacement for Mr Beale, a spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “ACC Johnson is taking on the role of head of Ops, which is the last role that ACC Beale was in.”
ACC Johnson has spent 27 years with the force since starting out as a Pc in Acocks Green, Birmingham, in 1991.
Most recently he was a chief superintendent in Birmingham and Dudley.
He said he is determined to keep making a difference in his new role, using his knowledge of the area.
He said: “I became an officer for the same reason as almost everyone else in the force – for the excitement, to bring offenders to justice and protect people, but above all, to make a difference.
“I’m proud of this organisation and our people and can’t imagine working anywhere else.”
West Midlands police and crime commissioner David Jamieson added: “Chris Johnson will be an excellent assistant chief constable. He went through a robust process to be selected.
“I look forward to working closely with him to continue to make the West Midlands a safe place to live in and where businesses want to invest.”
One of ACC Johnson’s most challenging tasks in recent years was helping lead the police response after a massive Second World War bomb was found in Aston last year.
He said: “We routinely deal with the discovery of WWII ordnance, and initially I thought this would be a pretty straightforward job.
“But then there was the issue of the M6 motorway, the cross-city railway line and the flight path into Birmingham Airport to consider.
“The bomb – the largest unexploded munition found since the war – was unstable because of the corrosion to the shell.
“Fortunately I was lucky enough to have some fantastic support from partners and staff from within our organisation.”
