Geoffrey James Dear, Baron Dear, (born 20 September 1937) is a
crossbench peer and retired British police officer who is a former
Chief Constable of
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England.
The force covers an area of with 2.93million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, ...
. He was described by the broadcaster and writer
Sir Robin Day
Sir Robin Day (24 October 1923 – 6 August 2000) was an English political journalist and television and radio broadcaster.
Day's obituary in ''The Guardian'' by Dick Taverne stated that he was "the most outstanding television journalist of ...
as "the best known and most respected police officer of his generation".
Police career
He was born to Cecil William Dear and Violet Mackney, and educated at
Fletton Grammar School in
Old Fletton, Huntingdonshire. He joined
Peterborough Combined Police
Peterborough Combined Police was the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in Peterborough, England, from 1947 to 1965. It was created from the amalgamation of the Liberty of Peterborough Constabulary and the Peterborough City ...
(which became part of
Mid-Anglia Constabulary
The Mid-Anglia Constabulary was the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in part of the East of England, from 1965 to 1974. It was created from the amalgamation of five forces. It was renamed Cambridgeshire Constabulary in ...
in 1965) as a
Cadet and became a
Constable in 1956. In 1965 he went to
University College, London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = Â ...
, on a Bramshill Scholarship to study law.
Graduating in 1968 and then serving as
divisional commander in
Cambridge
Cambridge ( ) is a College town, university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cam ...
, he was appointed
Assistant Chief Constable (Operations) of
Nottinghamshire Combined Constabulary (
Nottinghamshire Police
Nottinghamshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the shire county of Nottinghamshire and the unitary authority of Nottingham in the East Midlands area of England. The area has a population of just over 1 million. ...
from 1974) in 1972. From 1975 to 1977, he was seconded to
Bramshill Police College
The Police Staff College, Bramshill, Bramshill House, Bramshill, (near Hook) Hampshire, England, was until 2015 the principal police staff training establishment in England and Wales.
History
The need for a training college for the police was ...
as Director of Command Training.
In September 1979, he was awarded the
Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct
The Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct, formerly the King's Commendation for Brave Conduct, acknowledged brave acts by both civilians and members of the armed services in both war and peace, for gallantry not in the presence of an enemy. Est ...
for his arrest of an armed and "mentally deranged" man who had barricaded himself in a house with his infant son after a multiple shooting incident.
In 1980 he transferred to the
Metropolitan Police as
Deputy Assistant Commissioner (Training). In this role he came to public attention as he instituted racial awareness training for police officers in the wake of the
Brixton riots, into which he also conducted an internal investigation. On 1 December 1981 he was appointed
Assistant Commissioner "D" (Personnel and Training).
He was awarded the
Queen's Police Medal
The King's Police Medal (KPM) is awarded to police in the United Kingdom for gallantry or distinguished service. It was also formerly awarded within the wider British Empire, including Commonwealth countries, most of which now have their own hono ...
(QPM) in 1982 in recognition of his involvement post-riots in Brixton in 1981, in always difficult and sometimes dangerous circumstances, and headed the Met's investigation into the shooting of
Steven Waldorf in 1983. In 1984, he moved to become Assistant Commissioner "A" (Operations and Administration). In 1985, he left the Metropolitan Police to become
Chief Constable of
West Midlands Police
West Midlands Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England.
The force covers an area of with 2.93million inhabitants, which includes the cities of Birmingham, Coventry, ...
. He was the last officer to hold the post of Assistant Commissioner "A" before it was abolished in the reorganisation later that year.
In the West Midlands, he quickly came to the fore with his handling of the aftermath of the shooting by police of a young boy and, separately, the aftermath of the
1985 Handsworth riots
The second Handsworth riots took place in the Handsworth district of Birmingham, West Midlands, from 9 to 11 September 1985. The riots were reportedly sparked by the arrest of a man near the Acapulco Cafe, Lozells and a police raid on the ''Vi ...
. He instituted wide-ranging changes in that force, both administratively and operationally. In 1989, he headed the investigation into the
Hillsborough Stadium Disaster. He was widely expected to be appointed Chief Constable of the
Royal Ulster Constabulary in 1989, but the job went instead to
Hugh Annesley.
Dear was Chief Constable during the last years of the
West Midlands Serious Crime Squad
The West Midlands Serious Crime Squad was a police unit in the English West Midlands which operated from 1974 to 1989. It was disbanded after an investigation into allegations of incompetence and abuse of power on the part of some of the squad ...
, as its malpractices and unsafe convictions came to light. It was shut down in 1989. The squad was investigated by the
West Yorkshire Police
West Yorkshire Police is the territorial police force responsible for policing the metropolitan county of West Yorkshire, England. It is the fourth largest territorial police force in England and Wales by number of officers.
History
West Yor ...
, who found evidence of serious abuses but not enough to prosecute individual officers. A number of officers retired early or departed preventing internal disciplinary proceedings. Since the squad was shut down, over 60 convictions have been found to be unsafe and quashed.
He served as Chief Constable of the West Midlands until 1 April 1990, when he was appointed one of
HM Inspectors of Constabulary
His Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), formerly Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), has statutory responsibility for the inspection of the police forces of England and Wales, and since ...
. The decision was criticised by the MP
Chris Mullin
Christopher Paul Mullin (born July 30, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player, executive and coach. He is a two-time Olympic Gold medalist and a two-time Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductee (in 2010 as a memb ...
, given Dear's ultimate responsibility for the continuing failures of the West Midlands Serious Crime Squad.
He was
knighted in the
1997 New Year Honours
The New Year Honours 1997 were appointments by most of the Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other countri ...
, shortly before his retirement.
He was a member of the Glidewell review into the
Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in England and Wales. It is headed by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The main responsibilities of the CPS are to provide legal advi ...
from 1997 to 1998 and advised the Auld Review of the Criminal Courts process in 2002 and the Virdi Enquiry in 2003.
Peerage
Dear was created a
life peer as Baron Dear, of Willersey in the County of
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
, on 2 May 2006.
He has held a number of remunerated positions as
non-executive director
A non-executive director (abbreviated to non-exec, NED or NXD), independent director or external director is a member of the board of directors of a corporation, such as a company, cooperative or non-government organization, but not a member of th ...
or chairman, and is currently non-executive chairman of Blaythorne Group Ltd.
He was appointed a Deputy Speaker and a Deputy Chairman of Committees in 2015, and was a member of the European Union Select Committee, 2011–2015, the Home Affairs Sub-Committee, 2008–2012, and the Economic and Financial Affairs Sub-Committee, 2011–2015. Since 2015 he has been a member of the Privileges and Conduct Committee and the Works of Art Committee. In 2008 he successfully led opposition in the House of Lords to defeat the Government's intention to extend from 28 to 42 days the length of time that suspected terrorists could be held without charge. In 2012 he successfully amended the Public Order Act 1986 so as to protect freedom of speech in public, and similarly defeated Government attempts in 2014 to lower the threshold test for the creatation of ASBOs from conduct likely to cause "harassment, alarm or distress" to "nuisance or annoyance".
Criticising the absence of prior governmental consultation concerning the bill, he was a prominent opponent in the Lords to the Government's
legislation to introduce same-sex marriage, proposing a "
wrecking amendment
In legislative debate, a wrecking amendment (also called a poison pill amendment or killer amendment) is an amendment made by a legislator who disagrees with the principles of a bill and who seeks to make it useless (by moving amendments to either ...
" to the bill, which was defeated.
He spoke of fear of "such opposition to homosexuals in general that the climate of tolerance and acceptance in this country that we have all championed ... could well be set back by decades". He asked for a commission to "call on the very best minds from the fields of theology, philosophy, sociology, jurisprudence and finance", despite the risk of taking up "valuable parliamentary time" ... "when so many other pressing matters demand our attention." Some of his points were addressed in summing-up.
He is
Deputy Lieutenant of
Worcestershire
Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see H ...
, was Vice-Lord Lieutenant of that county from 1998 to 2001, and is an Honorary
Bencher
A bencher or Master of the Bench is a senior member of an Inn of Court in England and Wales or the Inns of Court in Northern Ireland, or the Honorable Society of King's Inns in Ireland. Benchers hold office for life once elected. A bencher ca ...
of
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and W ...
. He is a Fellow of University College, London and an Honorary Fellow of Birmingham City University
Personal life
Dear married Judith Stocker in 1958. After the death of his first wife in 1996, he married Alison Jones two years later. He has two daughters and a son by his first marriage.
Arms
Footnotes
References
*
*Biography, ''
Who's Who''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dear, Geoffrey
1937 births
Assistant Commissioners of Police of the Metropolis
Living people
People's peers
Crossbench life peers
Knights Bachelor
Metropolitan Police recipients of the Queen's Police Medal
Deputy Lieutenants of Worcestershire
Deputy Lieutenants of the West Midlands (county)
Alumni of University College London
People from Huntingdonshire
Chief Constables of West Midlands Police
Recipients of the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct
Life peers created by Elizabeth II