Page 20 - index

20 TOP cover aUtUmn 2012

60 SeCOnd intervieW

DCC Simon

CheSTerman QPm

West mercia police anD acpo leaD on Firearms

Firstly congratulations from all of us on your recent qPm. When and Why did you join the Police Service?
you must have felt very proud? I joined Thames Valley Police in April 1984 because it seemed like
I was absolutely gob smacked. When the letter came through I was a good idea at the time. It was and I have never looked back. From
in Northern Ireland assessing on a firearms command course, my the outside the Police Service looked like a great job with lots of
wife opened the letter and read it out to me over the phone. The opportunities and variety. I have a strong sense of justice and pride
medal means a lot to me as I am very patriotic and it was such a in an organisation that stands up for vulnerable members of society
privilege to attend the investiture at Buckingham Palace with my and takes on bullies whether they are neighbourhood nuisances or
wife and youngest daughters. I am also very conscious of the fact serious criminals. I understand how accountable we have to be,
that in the Police Service, in particular police firearms, there are but the current obsession with reforming a fine and proud Police
plenty of people who put their lives and careers in harm’s way to Service grieves me.
serve the public. What I mean to say is that there are many more
deserving cases, but I will wear it with pride and I am not going to you are ACPO lead for Firearms. What does this work
give it back! involve?
In summary, I am responsible for the development and delivery
of firearms policy and practice. Rightly so, this has to be one of
the most heavily scrutinised areas of policing and there is always
something critical going on including live operations, IPCC
investigations, inquests, public inquiries etc. I don’t need to tell
you that there are some very strong opinions and characters in
this environment. The need to deliver national consistency and
operational interoperability requires a great deal of resilience and
patience, but it is well worth it and I get to work with some fantastic
people both in the service and other agencies.

do you think we will ever have a fully armed
Police Service?
The stock answer is centred on the fact that the British Police
Service polices by consent and an armed service could undermine
this relationship with our communities and make us less
approachable. I support this and don’t believe that the
majority of people would want a fully armed Police Service
in the country. I would add a couple of other reasons.
Reflect back to your early days in the police and the
individuals on your shift; would you give them all a gun?
The fact is we recruit Police Officers not police Firearms
Officers and our focus would have to change.