Town's head of police heads south (From Warrington Guardian)

Town's head of police heads south

10:10am Tuesday 24th November 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(4)

WARRINGTON'S top cop is leaving his hometown to head up community policing 8,000 miles away in the Falkland Islands.

Chief Superintendent Gary Finchett grew up in Small Crescent off Statham Avenue in Orford. He attended Orford Secondary School before sitting his A-Levels at Boteler Grammar School and entered the police force at the age of 18-and-a-half.

“There is a lot of experience going with me to the Falklands but my time in Cheshire has been fantastic, being an area commander in the town I was born and spent most of my career is amazing.

Ch Sup Gary Finchett

In an illustrious career spanning 31 years, the 49-year-old was part of the team to set up Cheshire's first child protection unit in 1988 and in 1999 was instrumental in reforming the 999 call centre into an award-winning centralised hub at force headquarters in Winsford.

The former Orford boy rose through the ranks, working in Chester, Warrington, Widnes and Manchester before returning to the town in 2005 and was promoted to an area commander last year.

Looking back over his career Chf Supt Finchett said: “There are two things that will always stick in my mind and they are those events that have the most impact on the community – the Warrington bombing and Garry Newlove's murder.

“My abiding memory of working in Warrington will be the public support and sense of camaraderie people have. I have not experienced that anywhere near to what I have here.

“I was on duty on the day of the Warrington bombing. I was one of the first officers on Bridge Street and clearly remember running up the road and it being deserted on a busy weekend. I set up a cordon and made sure people were out of the danger area.

“Later I read a letter out at the memorial service attended by Irish president Mary Robinson, John Major, Colin and Wendy Parry and Mr Ball. It was a very emotional time and had high points as well as very low points.

“High points because all the community pulled together after that but low points to think someone could come into a town like Warrington and deliberately kill and maim, leading to the deaths of two young children and the injury of many people.”

As well as being one of Cheshire Police's highly trained and specialist firearms and public order commanders, Chf Supt Finchett is also a chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear incident commander.

He added: “There is a lot of experience going with me to the Falklands but my time in Cheshire has been fantastic, being an area commander in the town where I was born, grew up and spent most of my career is amazing. It is the best job in the force.

“There's something about the spirit of Warrington people in my view that is second to none and I feel very sad to be leaving although I wil be taking many happy memories with me.

“I am immensely proud of what the officers do for the community, sometimes risking their lives to do it – the people of Warrington are very well served by the police and police staff who continually strive to reduce crime and disorder and bring offenders to justice. They could not do what they do without the help and support of the public.”

Chf Supt Finchett's new role will be the director of community safety and chief police officer for the two main Falkland islands and some 700 smaller islands close to Argentina.

As part of the corporate management team of government he will have strategic responsibility for the police and prison service, fire and rescue, customs and immigration and the Falkland Islands defence force.

He added: “I'm honoured and priviledged to have been offered this unique and stimulating challenge.

I am looking forward to having the opportunity to lead and mould these key services in a ground breaking way to make people who live, work and travel to the Falkland Islands to be safe and feel safe.

“It is an unusual and exciting opportunity in an unusual and exciting place - I'm seeing it as a personal adventure!”

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(4)