{{Short description|British police officer}} {{Use British English|date=July 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}} {{Infobox officeholder |name = Tim Godwin |honorific_suffix = [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire|OBE]] [[Queen's Police Medal|QPM]] |alt = |caption = |order = |office = [[Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis]] |term_start = 16 July 2009 |term_end = 8 November 2011 |leader = [[Paul Stephenson (police officer)|Sir Paul Stephenson]]<br />[[Bernard Hogan-Howe]] |predecessor = Sir Paul Stephenson |successor = [[Craig Mackey]] |office2 = [[Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis|Acting Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police]] |term_start2 = 18 July 2011 |term_end2 = 12 September 2011 |predecessor2 = Sir Paul Stephenson |successor2 = Bernard Hogan-Howe (as Commissioner) |term_start3 = December 2010 |term_end3 = January 2011 |predecessor3 = Sir Paul Stephenson |successor3 = Sir Paul Stephenson |birth_date = |birth_place = [[Haywards Heath]], Sussex, United Kingdom |death_date = |death_place = |party = |other_party = <!--For additional political affiliations--> |partner = <!--For those with a domestic partner and not married--> |relations = |children = |home_town = |alma_mater = [[University of Portsmouth]]<br />[[Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge]] |occupation = |profession = |cabinet = |committees = |portfolio = |signature = |signature_alt = |website = [http://www.met.police.uk/about/godwin.htm Profile] |footnotes = }} '''Timothy John Godwin''' [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire|OBE]] [[Queen's Police Medal|QPM]] is a former British police officer, who served as [[Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis|Deputy Commissioner of London's Metropolitan Police Service]],<ref>[http://www.met.police.uk/about/godwin.htm Deputy Commissioner Tim Godwin, Metropolitan Police Service]</ref> from July 2009 until November 2011. He held the post of [[Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis|Acting Commissioner]], following the resignation of the Commissioner [[Paul Stephenson (police officer)|Sir Paul Stephenson]] in July 2011 and remained in post until his replacement, [[Bernard Hogan-Howe]], was formally appointed on 12 September 2011.

Godwin had previously been Acting Deputy Commissioner from December 2008 following the promotion of the previous incumbent, [[Paul Stephenson (police officer)|Sir Paul Stephenson]], to [[Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis|Commissioner]]; he was substantively appointed Deputy Commissioner in July 2009.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.met.police.uk/about/godwin.htm| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030202162222/http://www.met.police.uk/about/godwin.htm| archive-date = 2003-02-02| title = Met Police: Asst Commissioner Tim Godwin}}</ref> He also briefly held the top job as Acting Commissioner in December 2010 when the then Commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, took a leave of absence to undergo surgery to remove a tumour.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8201295/Metropolitan-Police-chief-Sir-Paul-Stephenson-takes-six-week-absence-to-have-tumour-removed.html | location=London | work=The Daily Telegraph | first=Steven | last=Swinford | title=Metropolitan Police chief Sir Paul Stephenson takes six-week absence to have tumour removed | date=14 December 2010}}</ref>

On 8 November 2011, Godwin announced that after 30 years in the police service he was to retire and take a role in the private sector.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-15646319 Met Police Deputy Commissioner Tom Godwin retires], [[BBC News]]</ref>

==Education and Merchant Navy career== Godwin was educated at Haywards Heath Grammar School (now [[Central Sussex College]]). He left school at 16 and went to Warsash College of Nautical Studies (which later merged to form [[Southampton Solent University]]) before joining the [[Merchant Navy (United Kingdom)|Merchant Navy]] as a deck officer. He served six years, achieving the rank of [[Second mate|Second Officer]].

==Early police career== Leaving the Merchant Navy, he joined [[Sussex Police]] in 1981, and had been promoted to [[Superintendent (police)|Superintendent]] by 1992. As a Superintendent and [[Chief Superintendent]] he was Head of Personnel and later Divisional Commander of a large [[Operational Command Unit]], which included [[Crawley]]. In 1996, he was appointed Force Crime Manager for Sussex, which made him responsible for force-level intelligence, crime and drugs operations, scientific support and major crime investigations. He took the Strategic Command Course at the [[Police Staff College, Bramshill]] in 1999. He also received a BA (Hons) degree in Public Sector Police Studies from the [[University of Portsmouth]] and a Diploma in Applied Criminology from the [[University of Cambridge]], where he studied at [[Fitzwilliam College]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fitz.cam.ac.uk/mi-client/media/import/documents/Optima15.pdf|title=Is there a Fitzwilliam member in the House?|year=2009|publisher=Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge|accessdate=6 July 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927020854/http://www.fitz.cam.ac.uk/mi-client/media/import/documents/Optima15.pdf|archivedate=27 September 2011|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Metropolitan Police== He was appointed [[Commander]] in the Metropolitan Police in November 1999 and served as Commander (Crime) for South London, South East Territorial Commander, and then Commander Crime for Territorial Policing. He was promoted to [[Deputy Assistant Commissioner]] in Territorial Policing in 2001, then to [[Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis|Assistant Commissioner]] a year later, making him responsible for everyday policing. During his time in Territorial Policing, he introduced a revitalised forensic strategy, instigated and led the Safer Streets Initiative (which saw robbery reduce by 30 per cent in three years), and through Operation Sapphire he oversaw a complete overhaul of the Metropolitan Police's approach to the investigation of serious sexual assault. This included the introduction of a number of "havens" in London, in partnership with the [[National Health Service]], where rape victims can receive immediate medical and psychological support in a non-police environment. Godwin led the National Reassurance Policing Programme with [[Denis O'Connor (police officer)|Denis O'Connor]]. He was also responsible for the implementation of the Safer Neighbourhoods Programme, delivering dedicated teams of officers to wards throughout London.

He was the [[Association of Chief Police Officers]] (ACPO) lead on Criminal Justice, tasked with reducing bureaucracy in the preparation of cases and improving integration and working practices with the [[Crown Prosecution Service]], and also the ACPO lead on Mobile Phone Crime, a role he first performed as Assistant Commissioner. He chaired the London Criminal Justice Board.

Following the promotion of [[Paul Stephenson (police officer)|Sir Paul Stephenson]] to [[Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis|Commissioner]], Godwin served as Acting Deputy Commissioner from January 2009 until he was sworn in on 16 July 2009.<ref>{{cite news |title=Tim Godwin appointed deputy commissioner of Metropolitan Police |author=Fresco, Adam |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/crime/article6716501.ece |newspaper=The Times |date=16 July 2009 |accessdate=20 July 2011 |location=London}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> He then spent a brief period as Britain's most senior police officer as Acting Commissioner from July 2011 until the post was permanently filled by Bernard Hogan-Howe, a former Chief Constable of Merseyside Police in September 2011.

==Honours and awards== He received the [[Royal Humane Society]] Testimonial in 1991 for rescuing a man from a high bridge over a railway line, was awarded the runner up prize for Equal Opportunities Achievement in the Police Service by the [[Home Secretary]] in 1996, and in 1998 received the National Prize for Public Management Leadership from the Office for Public Management.

Godwin was appointed an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the 2003 New Year Honours. He was awarded the [[Queen's Police Medal]] (QPM) for services to policing in The Queen's 2009 New Year Honours' List.

<div class="center"> [[File:Order of the British Empire (Civil) Ribbon.png|100px]] [[File:Queens Police Medal for Merit.png|100px]] [[File:UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|100px]] [[File:Police Long Service and Good Conduct ribbon.png|100px]] </div>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto;" |- style="background:silver;" align="center" |Ribbon || Description || Notes |- |[[File:Order of the British Empire (Civil) Ribbon.png|40px]] || [[Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) || * 2003 * Officer * Civil Division |- |[[File:Queens Police Medal for Merit.png|40px]] || [[Queen's Police Medal]] (QPM) || * 2009 |- |[[File:UK Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal ribbon.svg|40px]] || [[Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal]] || * 2002 * UK Version of this Medal |- |[[File:Police Long Service and Good Conduct ribbon.png|40px]] || [[Police Long Service and Good Conduct Medal]] || |- |}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *[http://www.met.police.uk/about/godwin.htm Metropolitan Police profile]

{{s-start}} {{s-civ|pol}} |- {{succession box | title=[[Assistant Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis|Assistant Commissioner Territorial Policing, Metropolitan Police]] | years=2002&ndash;2008 | before=[[Michael J. Todd]] | after=[[Ian McPherson (police officer)|Ian McPherson]]}} |- {{s-bef|rows=2|before=[[Paul Stephenson (police officer)|Sir Paul Stephenson]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Deputy Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis]] | years=2009–2011}} {{s-aft|after=[[Bernard Hogan-Howe]]<br /><small>as Acting Deputy Commissioner</small>}} |- {{s-ttl|title=[[Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis]]<br /><small>Acting</small>| years=July 2011 &ndash; September 2011}} {{s-aft|after=Bernard Hogan-Howe}} |- {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Godwin, Tim}} [[Category:Alumni of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge]] [[Category:Alumni of the University of Portsmouth]] [[Category:British Merchant Navy officers]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Assistant commissioners of police of the Metropolis]] [[Category:21st-century British police officers]] [[Category:Deputy commissioners of police of the Metropolis]] [[Category:Commissioners of police of the Metropolis]] [[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]] [[Category:People from Haywards Heath]] [[Category:English recipients of the Queen's Police Medal]] [[Category:Metropolitan Police recipients of the Queen's Police Medal]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]