'Wonderful honour': 'Back-to-basics' police boss and ex-Merseyside cop "humbled" by knighthood
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson, who is credited for turning round a failing force with his “back to basics” approach, said his knighthood is a “genuinely humbling” honour he shares with fellow officers and the people he serves.
Sir Stephen, who heads England’s second largest force, was speaking after collecting his knighthood from the Princess Royal at St James’ Palace in London on Thursday. Named in the King’s Birthday Honours list last June, Sir Stephen paid tribute to the thousands of officers he has served with in his 37-year career in policing.
Get the biggest stories from Merseyside in your inbox with Liverpool World’s free newsletter emails.
He said: “I, in having the privilege of leadership, am lucky enough, am I not, to be the recipient of this award? But, candidly, it is not just for me, it is for the people with whom I work. It is a representation of the good work that they do and the difference that they make to people’s lives.
“And that is why in the same breath as saying that it’s a wonderful honour, it is genuinely humbling, because you do recognise that this is on the shoulders of many, many thousands of men and women out there whom I am so so privileged to work with.”
Subscribe to our free Liverpool World newsletter to get a round-up of the latest news, sports and food & drink.
Sir Stephen, who began his career as a constable with Lancashire Police in 1988, has also served with Merseyside Police, the Metropolitan Police and Durham Constabulary, and paid tribute to his “wonderful wife and children” who attended the ceremony.
He said: “I have always been able to count on their ceaseless love and their support amounts to the most precious of my personal blessings.”
Folks don’t ring us for the good of their health.
His honour was to recognise his commitment to policing and the exceptional results as chief constable of both his previous force, South Yorkshire Police, and GMP, who he joined in May 2021 after the previous chief constable resigned with the force in special measures. Since then, GMP has gone from the worst-performing force to one of the best.
Sir Stephen’s approach, described as “back to basics” and “anti-woke”, has seen him enforce rules on “scruffy” uniforms, unshaven officers and ban pins and badges and visible tattoos. After the ceremony, he spoke of the value of getting the basics right and of local policing in “a very dynamic world”.
Sir Stephen said there are officers in the force who are “really committed to helping people”, adding: “The public expect the police to turn up when they are called, to treat them respectfully, to look as if they know what they are doing and they understand their powers and the law.
“Folks don’t ring us for the good of their health. They ring when something difficult or dangerous is happening to their families and they expect us to sort it out, and to do that with real respect to people, with compassion, vigour and professionalism.
Get the biggest stories from Merseyside in your inbox with Liverpool World’s free newsletter emails.
“Those are the building blocks that make British policing still, in my view, the best in the world and we cannot be complacent because too often we get things wrong. I think we have to redouble our efforts just to remind the public the vast majority of police officers are really good, decent people who are working their socks off in the interests of the public.
“It is to those that I always wish to pay tribute.”
Operation Vulcan
GMP has now doubled its number of arrests since 2021, carries out five times the number of stop-and-searches and solves more than double the number of crimes. The force has also increased the number of shoplifting offences solved by 534% since 2021.
GMP says all crime is down 3% in the last year compared to the previous 12 months, with neighbourhood crime down 15% along with falls in the levels of burglary, vehicle crime, firearm and knife offences and robbery.
Subscribe to our free Liverpool World newsletter to get a round-up of the latest news, sports and food & drink.
The force also gained international recognition for Operation Vulcan targeting the Cheetham Hill area of Manchester. Once known as the counterfeit capital of Europe run by organised crime gangs, in policing terms it has since been “levelled” with 216 shops closed down and 1,000 tonnes of goods seized.