West Midlands Police chief constable leaving after Commonwealth Games

The Chief Constable of West Midlands Police has announced he is stepping down from his post after this summer’s Commonwealth Games.

Sir David Thompson has been in the role since 2016, having previously been deputy chief constable of the force.

His exit has been planned so there will be continuity of command during the Games, with up to a million visitors expected for the sporting spectacle.

Sir David said the Games will be a “big moment”.

Speaking to BBC Midlands Today, he said: “After that I think it will be a good time for the force to have some new leadership.

“As policing has got smaller, the force has got nearly 2,000 less officers (than in 2010), the range of things police deal with has grown.

“Ten years ago it was burglary, robbery, vehicle crime. It’s now county lines, it’s modern slavery, domestic abuse has grown. So the stretch of what police do has got bigger during that time.”

The search for Sir David’s successor will officially begin next week, with the new incumbent heading the largest force in England outside the Metropolitan Police, policing nearly three million people.

The senior officer has clocked up 12 years with the force, having joined from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in 2010.

While with GMP, which he joined in 1990, he rose through the ranks and commanded policing operations for the Manchester Commonwealth Games in 2002.

He is also the finance lead on the National Police Chiefs’ Council, and is one of its two vice-chairs.

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