GMP chief constable knighted for transformative policing leadership

Friday, 30 January 2026 10:38

By David Murphy

Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson has been formally knighted at St James’ Palace following recognition in the King’s Birthday Honours list for his long-standing dedication to British policing.

Sir Stephen received the honour from the Princess Royal and paid tribute to the thousands of officers and staff he has worked alongside during a career spanning more than three decades.

He joined Lancashire Constabulary in 1988 and held senior roles in Merseyside Police, the Metropolitan Police, Durham Constabulary and South Yorkshire Police before becoming Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) in May 2021.

Since taking up the role, Sir Stephen has overseen one of the most rapid and extensive transformations in modern policing, with GMP now outperforming national averages on several key performance indicators.

Emergency 999 calls are now answered in four seconds on average, down from 47 seconds in May 2021. GMP now answers 92.8% of such calls within ten seconds. Attendance at emergencies has improved to an average of 7 minutes 43 seconds, while priority incident response times have been cut from 21 hours to under an hour.

The force has doubled the number of arrests, with 71,120 made in the year to December 2025, compared to 33,555 before Sir Stephen’s appointment. Stop and searches increased from 11,770 to 65,000 in the same period, resulting in daily weapons seizures and over 22,500 unfit vehicles taken off the road last year.

Crime detection rates have also risen sharply, with nearly 50,000 crimes solved in 2025, up 19% from the previous year and more than double the figure from 2021. Shoplifting detections increased by 534%, while justice was delivered in over 7,100 domestic abuse cases last year.

Neighbourhood and violent crime have dropped substantially. Neighbourhood offences are down 15%, including burglary and vehicle crime, while knife crime fell by 14%. Homicides have halved since 2021, and firearm incidents are at their lowest level in years.

Sir Stephen’s reforms have focused on a “back to basics” approach, boosting local policing visibility and delivering operations such as Op Vulcan, which dismantled Europe’s largest counterfeit goods market and netted more than 1,000 tonnes of illicit products.

Speaking after the investiture, Sir Stephen said: “After many years of service, I continue to believe passionately in the importance of the policing mission to the wellbeing of our country.

“My being recognised in this way, whilst wonderful and humbling in equal measure, is more accurately a reflection of the quality and commitment demonstrated by the vast majority of the many thousands of officers and staff with whom I have served with across the country.

“I dedicate my honour to the men and women who, through British policing generally and within Greater Manchester Police particularly, strive to serve the public so faithfully and fearlessly.”

He also thanked his family, adding: “That I have always been able to count on their ceaseless love and support amounts to the most precious of my personal blessings.”