Longest serving chief constable retires

Chief Constable John Giffard stepped down on April 2 after a decade at the helm of Staffordshire Police, until when he was the longest serving chief constable in England and Wales.

Mr Giffard joined the force as a beat bobby at Stafford in 1973 and, apart from four and a half years as Assistant Chief Constable at North Yorkshire Police, has remained in Staffordshire ever since.

He succeeded Charles Kelly as Chief Constable in 1996 and has steered the force through a series of major changes.

“It’s very unusual to be lucky enough to get to know a force as well as I have got to know this one. I have a great affinity for it and for all the people who serve,” he said

During Mr Giffard’s time in charge there have been dramatic drops in key crimes including car theft and home burglaries, which fell from 12,407 in 1996 to 4,042 in the 11 months to the end of February 2006. In 2004, the force was recognised as one of the top three nationally by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.

“Part of leadership is to take tough decisions and to achieve the best outcomes despite that,” said Mr Giffard.

Mr Giffard oversaw the re-organisation of the force into four territorial divisions and the establishment of the Major Investigations Department in 2003. During his tenure there has not been a single undetected murder.

Mr Giffard became the Chief Constable’s staff officer in 1984 before holding several superintendent posts and becoming divisional commander in Cannock in 1991. That year also saw him switch to North Yorkshire as ACC before his return to Staffordshire as Chief.

The Home Office approved a three-year extension to his initial seven-year contract in 2002. He has had various Association of Chief Police Officer roles, including 1st vice-president on his retirement.

The 54-year-old, who received a CBE in 2003, is married to Crescent and has two sons. His retirement plans include taking a cricket umpiring course and playing every golf course in Staffordshire.