11/09/2026
Gary Mason
The West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has named Scott Green as his preferred candidate to become the next Chief Constable of West Midlands Police.
Mr Green has been serving as Acting Chief Constable of West Midlands Police since January 2026 and has now been selected by Simon Foster as the person he wants to lead the force on a permanent basis.
The West Midlands Police and Crime Panel will approve the appointment at a confirmation hearing on 28th September 2026.
Scott Green was named acting chief when Craig Guildford suddenly retired following the Tel Aviv Maccabi affair in January and PCC Simon Foster said he would scour the country to get the right candidate for one of the three top jobs in UK policing.
He wrote to every officer holding the rank of Assistant Chief Constable or above to invite their interest in the post.
As reported in Police Oracle it is a difficult recruitment market for chief officers – two of the more recent vacancies for senior roles; deputy commissioner of the Met and chief constable of Merseyside, only had one candidate each.
West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said: “I am pleased to name Scott Green as my preferred candidate to become Chief Constable of West Midlands Police.
“This followed a rigorous selection process.
“I am looking forward to our attendance before the Police and Crime Panel on 28 September 2026. I will recommend that the Panel confirm the appointment of my preferred candidate.”
Mr Green joined West Midlands Police as the Deputy Chief Constable in April 2023 before becoming Acting Chief Constable in January 2026.
He started his police career in South Yorkshire Police in the 1990s, serving in uniform and CID at various ranks, including working for the forerunner of the National Counter Terrorism Policing network. His last role in South Yorkshire Police was as a Chief Superintendent, District Commander for Barnsley.
He was successful at the 2019 Senior Police National Assessment Centre, graduated from the Strategic Command Course in 2020 and was subsequently appointed as an Assistant Chief Constable in Staffordshire Police with responsibility for ensuring 999, 101 and online crime reporting ran efficiently, and emergency calls were responded to promptly and effectively.
In September 2021 he moved to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) as part of a new chief officer team brought together to help lead GMP out of Engaged Status (often referred to as ‘Special Measures’). During his time in GMP he was responsible for all ten policing districts across Greater Manchester and was part of the chief officer team that led the force out of Engaged Status.
He then moved to West Midlands Police as Deputy Chief Constable where he was responsible for the force’s performance. He was part of the chief officer team that led West Midlands out of special measures which, according to the PCC, took nine months and 27 days – which he said was the fastest of any other force in Special Measures.
Mr Green is an experienced Public Order Gold Commander, Multi-Agency Gold Incident Commander (MAGIC), and Specialist Strategic Firearms Commander.