Mr. Constable John Giffard

Chief Constable John Giffard is launching a new initiative to help combat hate crime within the Chase area.

Chief Constable John Giffard said: "I am greatly encouraged by the positive tone of Her Majesty's Inspector."

MORE AREAS REOPENED AFTER VIRUS

More areas of Cannock Chase Country Park, which were closed as a precaution against foot-and-mouth, are being reopened this weekend.
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West Mercia Police's Assistant Chief Constable met the family of a black man who hanged himself the day after the death, an inquest in Telford heard.
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The Chief Constable of West Midlands Police is urging mobile phone companies to do more to prevent the devices being used after they are lost or stolen.

Chief Constable John Giffard is presenting certificates to the group at police headquarters in Stafford.
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Staffordshire's Deputy Chief Constable has given a warm welcome to the Government's proposals for a radical reform of the police service.

The fall in offences may be due to the success of the large number of summer schemes operated by local authorities around the West Midlands, said Assistant Chief Constable (Crime Reduction) Chris Sims.
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Present will be the new Chief Constable, Mr Paul Scott-Lee, Assistant Chief Constable (Operations) Mr Paul Blewitt, John Shaw from the Police Authority and Operations Support Commander Chief Superintendent Sue Fish.
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Present will be the new Chief Constable, Mr Paul Scott-Lee, Assistant Chief Constable (Operations) Mr Paul Blewitt, John Shaw from the Police Authority and Operations Support Commander Chief Superintendent Sue Fish.
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Chief Constable John Giffard will award the certificates of commendation.

JOBS TO GO AT SOFTWARE FIRM

Chief Constable retires after 10 years in charge

(27 March 2006)

Chief Constable John Giffard will step down at the end of this week after a decade at the helm of Staffordshire Police.

Mr Giffard, the longest-serving Chief Constable in England and Wales, 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.
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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.This vindicated an earlier decision that saw it become one of the first to adopt an ethical recording system - eventually used as a national template - which initially saw crime figures rise.Other hard decisions included the reduction of officer and staff numbers in 1999 and disbanding the mounted branch in 2000.

"Part of leadership is to take tough decisions and to achieve the best outcomes despite that," said Mr Giffard."Although the number of staff we had dipped, we now have greater numbers than we had before in both police officers and staff ...

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.

He said: "Working relationships in Staffordshire with local authorities and the other emergency services have been very good.One example was our close work with the fire service on the introduction of the Starnet Radio system in 1998.Our good working relationship with Staffordshire Police Authority is also a model for others to follow.Although they have had good news to report from the force in recent years, Police Authority members have been prepared to hold us to account when performance has not been so good.They have also been very astute in appointing the right members to the force's executive team."

Mr Giffard's police career began in 1973 following graduation from Southampton University.Initial spells in uniform in Stafford and as a DC at Cannock were followed by sergeant posts in Cannock and Brewood before promotion to inspector in the control room at HQ then as a shift inspector at Newcastle.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.

A three-year extension to his initial seven-year contract was approved by the Home Office in 2002.He has had various Association of Chief Police Officer roles, including 1st vice-president on his retirement.
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Despite his affinity with Staffordshire, Mr Giffard, whose last day is Sunday 2 April, is happy to hand the reins to his successor David Swift.
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Tributes to Mr Giffard:
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"Mr Giffard's leadership has seen many improvements in results.Crime has been driven down as police officers have changed the way they work.

"I have found the Chief Constable and his senior officers to be most helpful and supportive, in particular when launching my recent green paper on neighbourhood policing.I look forward to working with Mr Giffard's successor.

Chief Constable John Giffard said: "I'm delighted with our number one ranking.

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.

But Chief Constable John Giffard also said that discussions were ongoing about a "newly-built police station elsewhere in Cannock."

The Chronicle revealed last month that the Wolverhampton Road police base was 'set to close' within months.

But, replying to a letter from Cannock Chase MP Tony Wright, Mr Giffard said: "It has been reasonably common knowledge for some time that we are discussing a proposal for the Local Policing Unit to work out of a newly-built police station elsewhere in Cannock.

"These proposals, however, include provision for the front desk and custody facility to remain where they are but perhaps with a greater profile for the front desk."

He stressed: "I have always undertaken to continue with a strong visibility presence in Cannock town centre.

Chief Constable John Giffard criticised the controversial hi-tech scheme during an exclusive interview with the Newsletter.