Sir Stephen Watson, QPM, is a British police officer. Since 2021, he has been the Chief Constable of

Greater Manchester Police Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England. , Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 memb ...

. Watson joined

Lancashire Constabulary Lancashire Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Lancashire in North West England. The force's headquarters are at Hutton, Lancashire, Hutton, near the cit ...

in 1988. In 2006, he was promoted to

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

and joined

Merseyside Police Merseyside Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing Merseyside in North West England. The service area is 647 square kilometres with a population of around 1.5 million. As of September 2017 the service has 3,484 police o ...

, and later served as Area Commander for Liverpool North for three years. In 2011, he joined the Metropolitan Police as Commander for the East Area; he had over 6,000 police officers under his command. He was involved in policing in the aftermath of the

2011 riots Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number) * One of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''Eleven'', a 1970 collection of short stories by Patricia Highsmith *''Eleven'' ...

and was a senior member of the 2012 Olympic Command Team. From 2015 to 2016, he was Deputy Chief Constable of

Durham Constabulary Durham Constabulary is the territorial police force responsible for policing the council areas of County Durham and Darlington in North East England. It does not cover all of the ceremonial or historic area of Durham, parts of which are covered ...

, and from 2016 to 2021 he was the Chief Constable of

South Yorkshire Police South Yorkshire Police (SYP) is the territorial police force responsible for policing South Yorkshire in England. The force is led by Chief Constable Lauren Poultney. Oversight is conducted by Mayor Oliver Coppard. History The force was fo ...

. Since May 2021, he has been the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), the second-largest police force in England and Wales with over 14,000 staff. Prior to Watson's appointments at South Yorkshire Police and GMP, both authorities had been placed in special measures by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services; he has been credited with rapidly improving both forces and turning them into "high performing organisations".
Birthday Honours List 2025 - High Awards
' (London: Cabinet Office, 2025), p. 16. At GMP, he also started Operation Vulcan, a major operation in 2022 against counterfeit goods and associated criminality; GMP has received multiple awards for the operation. The

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

has reported that during Watson's tenure as Chief Constable at GMP, arrest numbers have increased from 33,500 in 2021 to 67,000 in 2024.

Andy Burnham Andrew Murray Burnham (born 7 January 1970) is a British politician who has served as Mayor of Greater Manchester since 2017 Greater Manchester mayoral election, 2017. He served in Gordon Brown's Brown ministry, Cabinet as Chief Secretary to th ...

, the

Mayor of Greater Manchester The mayor of Greater Manchester is the directly elected metro mayor, mayor of Greater Manchester, responsible for strategic governance in the region that includes health, transport, housing, strategic planning, waste management, policing, the G ...

, has commended Watson's "back-to-basics approach" and focus on neighbourhood policing. In 2025, Burnham's contract at GMP (which had been due to expire in 2026) was extended by a further two years. Watson received 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 ...

in the

2019 Birthday Honours The 2019 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as ...

, and was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in the

2025 Birthday Honours The 2025 King's Birthday and Operational Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms of Charles III, King Charles III to Orders and decorations of the Commonwealth realms, various orders and honours to reward and highlight good ...

.
The London Gazette
' (supplement), issue 64759 (13 June 2025), p. B2.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watson, Stephen Living people British police officers Knights Bachelor