Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster has announced Craig Guildford as his preferred candidate to be the next Chief Constable of West Midlands Police.
The announcement follows a rigorous selection process by the PCC. During the assessment the candidates were grilled by a panel of young people from the region, stakeholders from partner agencies, staff and officer representatives and finally a formal interview with a panel chaired by the PCC. Those panels, that were a representative cross section of the West Midlands, helped inform the Commissioner’s decision.
The preferred candidate to be the next Chief Constable, Craig Guildford, will now go before the West Midlands Police and Crime Panel for confirmation on 25th July.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said,
“I am pleased to announce Craig Guildford as my preferred candidate to be the next Chief Constable of West Midlands Police. Craig will be responsible for working with me to deliver my Police and Crime Plan and my core pledge of rebuilding community policing. I also expect the incoming Chief Constable to reduce crime and drive recruitment to make West Midlands Police look more like the communities it serves.
“Appointing a Chief Constable is one of the most important decisions I will make whilst in office. Craig will be responsible for preventing and tackling crime so as to ensure the West Midlands is a safe and secure place for people to live and work. He is an outstanding police leader and I look forward to working closely with him.
“Sir David Thompson has been an excellent Chief Constable and will continue to lead the force into the Commonwealth Games and through to the end of the year. Sir David has modernised the force and had to grapple with the huge challenges of austerity and ever-changing threats to public safety.”
Craig Guildford QPM VR DL said,
“I am delighted to be named as the preferred candidate to be the next Chief Constable of West Midlands Police. I am looking forward to working closely with the Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster to help deliver his plan to rebuild neighbourhood policing. I also can’t wait to get to know the communities of the West Midlands and to help make their streets safer.
“Chief Constable of West Midlands Police is one of the top policing jobs in the country, it is an honour to be put forward for the role. Sir David Thompson has been an excellent Chief Constable and I wish him well.
“After five years as Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire, I shall be sad to leave a force which has some outstanding Police officers and staff, but I am very much looking forward to this new challenge.”
Craig Guildford’s policing career began when he joined Cheshire Constabulary as a Police Constable in 1994 after completing a Geography degree at the University of Derby. He had previously served as a volunteer Special Constable with the same force since 1992. He has served with Gwent Police as Deputy Chief Constable and joined Nottinghamshire and Chief Constable in 2017.
