Commander Simon Foy is currently the Head of the Metropolitan Police Performance Directorate as such he has responsibility for ensuring that the Metropolitan Police Service meets its targets which are set both by Central Government and through the Metropolitan Police Authority in London.  He is currently designing the Metropolitan Police’s version of the `Compstat` system.

He has 23 years service in the Metropolitan Police, having joined as all UK officers do in the rank of Constable in 1982.  His Service has been throughout London serving in both Uniform and Detective branches.  He has a wide professional experience including running one of the Murder Investigation Teams in South London, leading the teams dealing with Child Abuse Investigation in South West London, and was the Police Commander for the Borough of Lambeth for three years (which is regarded as the highest crime area in the United Kingdom).

He was also responsible for writing the first National Guidelines for the management of Sex Offenders in the community and was responsible for the first draft of the Metropolitan Police’s Drug Strategy.  He has more recently been the Policy Lead in the Met for the Managing of Deaths in Police Custody and dealing with the issue of Knife Related Crime. 

He was promoted to the rank of Commander in November 2003, having served 2½ years as the Staff Officer to the previous Commissioner Sir John Stevens.  His first posting as a Commander was as a member of the Command Team of the Territorial Policing Business Group.  This team has the responsibility for the policing of the 32 London Boroughs and the provision of Specialist and Uniform Services to support them.  With almost 28,000 police officers and police staff it is the largest policing unit in the MPS.  He had specific responsibility within that command for the 7 Boroughs in the South West of London. 

He joined the Service under the graduate entry scheme.  He has a degree in Law from Queen Mary College University of London aged 45 and he lives in Windsor Berkshire. He has 5 children aged between 18 – 9.  He has an interest in sport and generally tries to keep himself fit and active.  He does currently however have the misfortune to be a supporter of the football club that is languishing at the bottom of the English Premier League!!

Following the events in London on the 7th July and the 21st July a number of senior officers in the Met were employed as the Dedicated Senior Officer (DSO) with responsibility of taking the decision as to whether to use lethal force in the face of a specific threat by suicide bombers in London.  Commander Foy was one of a small cadre of officers who were trained to fulfil this task and has subsequently worked to develop the policy in this area to develop this professional expertise.  He currently heads the training sub-group for the DSO’s on behalf of the Assistant Commissioner with responsibility in the Met for the “Operation Kratos” Policy – this is the description given to the range of tactics used to defend against the threat of suicide bombers.  /ends

Photography: [click here]