West Mercia Police Chief Constable David Shaw to retire
West Mercia Police Chief Constable, David Shaw, has today announced his intention to retire on 31st July 2016.
David started his career more than 30 years ago in West Midlands Police rising to the rank of Assistant Chief Constable before joining West Mercia Police in 2008 as Deputy Chief Constable. In August 2011 he was appointed Chief Constable.
On announcing his retirement today, David said:
"It has been an extraordinary privilege to have been part of two teams looking after the communities of West Midlands and West Mercia policing areas. Even after 36 years as a police officer, it is impossible to describe the sense of pride and admiration for what officers and staff achieve every single day. Their courage, humanity and desire to do the right thing remain inspiring.
"The eight years I have had with West Mercia have been amongst the toughest but also happiest of my service. The successes we have delivered together have only been possible with the outstanding support of colleagues of every role and rank, the energy, skill and tenacity of the Chief Officer Team, my colleagues in Warwickshire Police and of course Bill Longmore, the Police and Crime Commissioner. I will be leaving with a feeling of genuine affection for this force, the people I work with and the area I serve.
"While I will make sure that I get the chance to say my goodbyes to a whole range of people over the coming months, I just want to take this opportunity to thank the hundreds of friends, colleagues and partners who have helped me in so many ways over so many years. In the meantime though, there is a force to lead, there is work to be done and of course I need to prepare the force for my successor and the new Police and Crime Commissioner."
