Sentencing Council for England and Wales
The Lord Chancellor, in consultation with the Lord Chief Justice, has appointed Chief Constable Simon Byrne MA QPM to the Sentencing Council for 3 years from 1 September 2016. The appointment is subject to security clearance.
Simon began his police career in the Metropolitan Police Service in 1982 on uniform patrol pounding the beat around Paddington and St Johns Wood before transferring to Merseyside Police in 1985.
In 2002, he became the Basic Command Unit Commander for Knowsley, one of the most deprived parts of the country. He joined Association of Chief Policer Officers in 2006 on promotion to Assistant Chief Constable and in 2009 he transferred to Greater Manchester Police on promotion to Deputy Chief Constable where he led a significant programme of performance improvement and innovation which removed the Force from the jeopardy of intervention by the Home Office.
In 2011, Simon returned to head the largest operational command in the Country running day-to-day policing in Londons 32 boroughs. He also oversaw the Mets Contact Centres, Safer Transport and Criminal Justice Commands. Simon led significant improvements in the police service to Londoners increasing response times to urgent incidents, crime and cutting anti-social behaviour and convicting more offenders. He also led the largest change to local policing in a generation boosting neighbourhood policing teams across the capital.
Simon became Chief Constable with Cheshire Constabulary in June 2014. In 2015 he became the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) lead for the National Police Air Service.
In December 2015, Simon became the lead for the NPCC Criminal Justice Coordination Committee and was awarded the Queens Police Medal (QPM) in the 2016 New Years Honours List. Simon recently became a member of the Criminal Rules Procedure Committee and he is delighted to join the Sentencing Council as a non-judicial member.