Simon Cole QPM, grew up in Leicestershire. He was educated in Market Bosworth, Northampton, Oadby and Colchester.
Simon joined West Midlands Police in 1988, on the graduate Entry Scheme. He continued with his career in uniform and detective roles.
Simon joined Hampshire Police on 1st September 2003 as Assistant Chief Constable where he led on delivering Neighbourhood Policing. He took particular interest in the Special Constabulary both within Hampshire, and on behalf of the South East Region of the Association of Chief Police Officers.
He became Deputy Chief Constable on 8th September 2008, before returning to Leicestershire as Chief Constable in June 2010.
Locally Simon represented the force on the Strategic Partnership Board, working with partners all over the force area to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour. He had a huge impact on national policing portfolios and held a number of voluntary roles including:
He was a keen sportsman chairing the Leicestershire Police Sports and Leisure Section, Force Benevolent Fund and Police Sport UK National Lawn Tennis, Cricket and Rugby sections.
Simon was awarded a BA (Hons) in English literature from the University of Durham, an MA in History from University College, Worcester and a Diploma in Criminology and Policing from Cambridge University.
In 2014 he was very proud to be awarded The Queen’s Police Medal in the New Year’s Honours list, and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts by De Montford University.
In 2020 Simon was awarded the Sir Robert Peel Medal by The Institute of Criminology at Cambridge University. The Sir Robert Peel Medal is awarded annually for outstanding leadership in evidence based policing.
Simon retired on 18 March 2022 and died on 30 March 2022, age 55.
Please note that The Memorial Garden is not open to members of the general public, it is accessible only by those who have a memorial on site and have been issued a ‘memorial pass’.
All memorial enquiries should be directed to the ‘Force Chaplaincy Team’ at chaplain@hampshire.police.uk.