Chris Sims: A 'privilege' serving public as Chief Constable of West Midlands Police
The Chief Constable of West Midlands Police, Chris Sims, has spoken of his honour at serving the public, as he prepares to step down after more than six years at the helm.
"It’s been a huge privilege to lead the force through six challenging years," he said.
"There is a natural leadership cycle in big organisations and when I announced my decision to retire earlier this year I knew the time was right to move on - and for the force to benefit from a fresh impetus."
Speaking to ITV News ahead of handing over to DCC Dave Thompson in January, Mr Sims said he will miss the job "hugely".
Mr Sims’ tenure at the top was dominated by the financial challenges imposed on UK police forces in the Government’s 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review.
It required West Midlands Police to make cuts of around £130 million in five years. His response was a wholesale efficiency and modernisation drive.
The force was one of just five considered ‘outstanding’ by HMIC for delivering innovative modernisation measures while cutting crime and keeping a high profile in communities.
It concluded the cuts had been achieved without hampering the force’s focus on preventative policing, disrupting organised crime, tightly managing known offenders, or meeting its emergency response times.
Speaking to ITV News Central Correspondent Andy Bevan, Mr Sims said:
Mr Sims left Oxford University in 1980 with a degree in modern history before joining the Met Police in London.
Having risen through the ranks he transferred to Staffordshire Police as a Superintendent in 1994 and was promoted to Assistant Chief Constable of West Midlands Police four years later.
In 2003 he became Deputy Chief Constable and, following a stint as Director of Policing Policy at the National Policing Improvement Agency, became Chief Constable of Staffordshire Police in 2007. He returned to the West Midlands in June 2009 as Chief Constable.
Proudest moments
Mr Sims cites West Midlands Police’s efforts to swiftly restore order to the streets following the 2011 Birmingham riots as among his proudest moments.
He also ranks the investigation into race killer and mosque bomber Pavlo Lapshyn as another highlight.
Lapshyn was caught in 2013 following a painstaking enquiry that saw detectives trawl tens of thousands of hours of CCTV to piece together the Ukrainian student’s movements and link him to the three bomb blasts.
Speaking about the current challenges of violence and extremism, Sims told ITV News it is essential the force continues to work with communities.
As for whether people in Birmingham are as safe or less safe than when he became Chief Constable, Sims commented:
The 57-year-old was awarded the OBE in 2003 and Queen’s Police Medal in 2010 for "distinguished police service".
His service as Chief Constable has also been recognised in the West Midlands.
Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson described Mr Sims as "an outstanding public servant" who has "devoted his life to protecting the security and safety of the public".
Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner, Yvonne Mosquito, added:
Mr Sims said he now plans a brief hiatus before aiming to return to policing in a senior leadership role in the New Year.