New West Mercia Police Chief Constable visits Shropshire
Anthony Bangham the new Chief Constable for West Mercia Police is in Shropshire today, meeting staff and local communities.
As part of a three day tour of the force area he will visit Telford, Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury.
His appointment was confirmed by the Police and Crime Panel yesterday afternoon, and is the first Chief Constable to lead the force having started his career in West Mercia as a police constable 25 years ago.
After his appointment was confirmed he said: "I am delighted to be confirmed as Chief Constable for West Mercia Police and look forward to meeting the public and staff who serve the communities of Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Worcestershire.
"As Chief Constable, I want to lead a strong, confident and compassionate West Mercia; an organisation in which the officers and staff always put the public first, always focus on protecting the most vulnerable and always give the very best service to victims of crime and anti-social behaviour."
Educated at St Ambrose's in Kidderminster and Sacred Heart College in Droitwich Mr Bangham went on to Old Swinford Hospital School, Stourbridge before completing a degree in Agricultural Business Management at Wye College, University of London.
He began his police career as a constable in Redditch in 1991 and worked up the ranks in Bromsgrove, Worcester and Droitwich before becoming Chief Inspector of Community Policing in Herefordshire in 2000.
He was then appointed Superintendent of Operations in Hereford, where he stayed until March 2005, and from there took a variety of roles including working nationally with the former Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) on the police use of firearms.
In 2007 he was promoted to chief superintendent and became head of Professional Standards, then head of the force's Operations department and temporary Assistant Chief Constable for West Mercia.
In 2010 Mr Bangham joined Avon and Somerset Constabulary as Assistant Chief Constable, where he commanded major events including the Glastonbury festival, the English Defence League march in Bristol and the multi-agency response to the M5 motorway major incident in Somerset.
Four years later he returned to West Mercia Police as Deputy Chief Constable.
Mr Bangham has national roles as policing lead for animal diseases and police pursuits, and is a proud local ambassador for the Prince's Trust.
He lives in Herefordshire with his wife and two children and is a keen runner.
