Command Team
Assistant Chief Constable (Security, Learning and Development)
Marcus Beale
Marcus Beale joined West Midlands Police in June 2011 as Assistant Chief Constable for Security. He also has local policing responsibility for the areas of Coventry and Solihull, and for the Learning and Development needs of our staff.
He joins the force from Staffordshire Police, bringing with him a broad experience gained over several years as an Assistant Chief Constable. Initially he had responsibility for specialist crime and specialist uniformed operations, and, more recently, responsibility for local policing. During his time he had lead responsibility for investigating many serious or sensitive crimes, led significant operations against organised crime and organised the policing for large events, such as the V Festival and the opening of the Armed Forces Memorial at Alrewas. He played an instrumental role in developing partnership approaches to our services and establishing better regional policing arrangements in some specialist areas. During his time with Staffordshire Police he successfully obtained a Masters Degree in Applied Criminology and Police Management from Cambridge University. His thesis was on Domestic Violence which directly led to a review of Domestic Violence incidents’ handling within Staffordshire.
Prior to joining Staffordshire Police, Mr Beale rose to the rank of Chief Superintendent with Nottinghamshire Police and worked for a period with Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary.
In his current role, Mr Beale has overall responsibility and accountability for the performance and policing delivery within Solihull and Coventry; responsibility for the overseeing of effective and relevant training provision for West Midlands Police employees, and has specific local, regional and national responsibilities for counter terrorism policing.
He said, ‘Reducing the threat of terrorism and preventing violent extremism locally, nationally and internationally is integral to serving the communities of the West Midlands and protecting them from harm. West Midlands Police is absolutely committed to working with local communities, local and national agencies, and other police forces to lessen the threat from terrorism. West Midlands Police has a proven track record in disrupting terrorist threats and bringing to justice those who attempt such acts, but it also fully acknowledges that some things could have been done much better. Project Champion showed clearly that counter terrorism policing must fully respect the communities we are here to serve. I and the Police Authority are very committed to ensuring that future counter terrorism policing fully understands the community context that these operations take place within. We passionately believe this will provide a better service to all the communities of the West Midlands and ensure they are better protected from harm.'