Assistant commissioner announces retirement
Having delayed his retirement earlier this year to lead the Metropolitan Police Service’s (MPS) operational response to the coronavirus outbreak, Assistant Commissioner Mark Simmons has confirmed he will now retire later this month.
Mr Simmons joined the MPS on September 6, 1982, and will be leaving just shy of 38 years of service to London.
During this time he has held a number of important roles in frontline policing, including borough commander in Tower Hamlets.
As assistant commissioner, Mr Simmons led on the MPS’s efforts to bear down on violent crime.
In February 2012, he was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for distinguished service.
Mr Simmons said: “I feel so deeply privileged to have had the opportunity to serve London in what I firmly believe is the best police force in the world. The organisation today is fundamentally different in so many respects to the one I joined and I am proud to have played a small part in the changes.
“However the underpinning values that drew me to a career in policing hold true – compassion for victims, care for communities, a desire for justice, and a can-do attitude and strong team spirit.”
MPS Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said: “Mark Simmons is a police officer who has dedicated nearly 38 extraordinary years to policing London.
“Mark’s wealth of knowledge and experience in policing will be a great loss to the Met and to London. I want to thank him for his service and, on behalf of so many colleagues and friends within the Met and beyond, wish him every happiness in the future.”
