Colin Bertie John Sutton QPM (6 December 1938 – 26 March 2004) was a British police officer.

Early life

Sutton was educated at

King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon The Grammar School of King Edward VI at Stratford-upon-Avon (commonly referred to as King Edward VI School or shortened to K.E.S.) is a grammar school and academy in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England, traditionally for boys only. However ...

Career

In 1957 he joined

Warwickshire Constabulary Warwickshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Warwickshire in England. It is the second smallest territorial police force in England and Wales after the City of London Police, with only 823 (full-time equivalents) ...

as a

Constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

. He was promoted to Sergeant in 1964, Inspector in 1966,

Chief Inspector Chief inspector (Ch Insp) is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police (CIP). Usage by country Australia The rank of chief inspector is ...

in 1970,

Superintendent Superintendent may refer to: * Superintendent (police), Superintendent of Police (SP), or Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), a police rank *Prison warden or Superintendent, a prison administrator *Superintendent (ecclesiastical), a church exe ...

in 1972, and

Chief Superintendent Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces, especially in those organised on the British model. Rank insignia of chief superintendent File:Sa-police-chief-superintendent.png, South Australia Police File:RCMP Chief Superintendent.png ...

in 1974. Later that year he transferred to

West Midlands Police West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. The force covers an area of with 2.93million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, W ...

. In 1977 he was appointed Assistant Chief Constable with

Leicestershire Constabulary Leicestershire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Leicestershire and Rutland in England. Its headquarters are at Enderby, Leicestershire. History Leicestershire Police was formed in 1839. In 1951 it amalgamated w ...

. He obtained a

Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of ...

degree from

University College, London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

in 1970. In 1983, Sutton moved to the Metropolitan Police as a Deputy Assistant Commissioner. He was appointed Assistant Commissioner "B" (Traffic) in 1984."Provincial policemen join Yard's top ranks", ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' ...

'', 18 August 1984 He was to be the last officer to hold this post, as the Metropolitan Police was reorganised in 1985. He then became Assistant Commissioner Management Support, and in 1987 was appointed Assistant Commissioner Personnel and Training. He was awarded the

Queen's Police Medal The King's Police Medal (KPM) is awarded to police in the United Kingdom for gallantry or distinguished service. It was also formerly awarded within the wider British Empire, including Commonwealth countries, most of which now have their own hono ...

(QPM) in 1985. In 1988 he became Director of the Police Requirements Support Unit at the Home Office and in 1991 Director of the Police Scientific Development Branch, also at the Home Office.

Death

He retired in 1993 and died in 2004.

Footnotes

References

*Biography, ''

Who Was Who ''Who's Who'' is a reference work. It is a book, and also a CD-ROM and a website, giving information on influential people from around the world. Published annually as a book since 1849, it lists people who influence British life, according to ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Sutton, Colin 1938 births 2004 deaths People from Stratford-upon-Avon British police chief officers Assistant Commissioners of Police of the Metropolis Alumni of University College London English recipients of the Queen's Police Medal Metropolitan Police recipients of the Queen's Police Medal West Midlands Police People educated at King Edward VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon