Sir David Thompson QPM DL is Chief Constable of West Midlands Police and former Vice Chair of the National Police Chief’s Council.
After he graduated with a degree in law in 1990, Sir David’s policing career began with Greater Manchester Police (GMP). He joined on a graduate scheme, which provided an accelerated path into the police force, and he soon became a uniformed constable – a position he held for three years. During this time, he worked on Manchester’s Olympic bid.
Sir David was later promoted to Sergeant, when he was sent to police Stockport, before he returned to Manchester as an Inspector, then Chief Inspector and, eventually, Superintendent. He commanded the main policing operations for the 2002 Commonwealth Games at the City of Manchester Stadium and worked on the East Manchester New Deal, a £77m regeneration initiative. He was also Commander for Central Manchester, overseeing policing in Moss Side and Longsight.
In 2007, Sir David completed the Strategic Command Course (SCC) at the College of Policing and was promoted to Assistant Chief Constable for Central Manchester. Over the next three years, he led policing portfolios for Operations, Local Policing, Crime, Information Technology and Terrorism.
Then, in 2010, Sir David became Deputy Chief Constable for West Midlands Police (WMP), where he was charged with modernising the force under austerity. After six years, he was promoted to Chief Constable, where his goal was to create a modern police force with traditional values, ensuring WMP became one of the most technologically advanced in the country, alongside improving diversity and inclusivity. In 2014, Sir David received the Queens Police Medal (QPM) and then, in the 2021 Queen’s New Year Honours list, a Knighthood for services to policing.
Alongside his role as Chief Constable, Sir David was recently Vice Chair of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), Senior Responsible Officer of the NPCC Inclusion and Race Programme Board, NPCC Chair of the Police Heritage Board, responsible for the security of the Commonwealth Games 2022, and Director of the Bluelight Commercial Ltd company.
Sir David is also one of several Chief Constables across the region who acted as signatories in 2019 for a six-year deal with Staffordshire University to deliver the Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) – providing three pathways into policing for new recruits.
The Award of Honorary Doctor of Staffordshire University is bestowed upon Sir David in recognition of his exceptional distinction in the field of policing.