Devon and Cornwall police officer awarded KPM in New Year’s Honours

Retired Devon and Cornwall Detective Superintendent Mike West has been awarded the King’s Policing Medal in the New Year’s Honours list.

The honour which is awarded to members of the police service for a specially distinguished record in policing recognises Mike’s hard work and dedication to the communities he has served over a 30-year career.

Mike joined Devon and Cornwall Police in May 1994 beginning his career in Torquay, where he received the 1995 Police Probationer of the year award, before undertaking roles in his hometown of Plymouth, the Force’s Public Protection Unit and the Serious and Organised Crime Branch.

The majority of his service has been spent within the Major Crime Investigation Teams, where he has led overt investigations and covert operations linked to homicides, kidnaps and extortions, serious sexual offences and Counter Terrorism Act offences. He recently retired as Detective Superintendent and Head of the Force’s Major Crime Branch.

In his career Mike has gained the highest possible level of national accreditation for Senior Investigating Officers and is an experienced Senior Identification Manager in relation to disaster victim identification and mass fatality incidents.

Over his 30-year service, Mike has also received a significant number of national, regional and force commendations from the Judiciary, Chief Constables and Policing Commanders recognising his leadership and professionalism as a Senior Investigating Officer. In 2021, Mike won the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Senior Investigating Officer of the year award in recognition of his ‘professionalism, dedication and commitment in delivering an outstanding service for the victims, families and communities affected by major and serious crimes’.

Chief Constable James Vaughan said: “I am delighted that Mike has been recognised in the New Year’s Honours list. He has enjoyed a long and distinguished career and successfully led some of the most complex, high profile and high-risk major crimes that have affected Devon, Cornwall and the Southwest Region for over two decades.

“He is extremely well thought of by colleagues across the Force and our partners and I wish him a long and happy retirement.”

Mike said: “I am truly honoured and humbled to be recognised in the King’s New Years Honours List.

“It has been a privilege to have worked alongside the dedicated and professional officers and staff that I have met throughout my career, and to witness at first hand the quality of the care, compassion and expertise that they seek to deliver to victims, families and communities that have been affected by major crimes and tragic events.

“The counsel and support that I have received from colleagues, friends and particularly from my family, who have been so understanding when I have worked extended hours away from home for days, weeks and sometimes months, have made my policing career an incredibly varied and rewarding experience, and I would like to pass on my sincere thanks to them.”