Merseyside Police's new Deputy Chief Constable is an investigator to his core.
Wavertree born and bred, Chris Green has spent 30 years in his home force serving in every rank as a detective, with a couple of brief interruptions on secondment heading up the North West Regional Organised Crime Unit (NWROCU).
This month, the former street bobby who started his career out on the streets of Prescot and Rainhill before becoming a detective constable, took over as the second most senior officer in Merseyside, following the retirement of his predecessor, Ian Critchley. His promotion came after a year quite unlike anything he had seen in his 30 years as a policeman.
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Prior to his appointment, ex De la Salle high school student DCC Green was one of the force's four Assistant Chief Constable's (ACCs). Each has their own portfolio, and DCC Green was responsible for intelligence and investigations.
The state of play at the start of August was generally positive. The force had been rated 'Outstanding' by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) in its approach to disrupting serious and organised crime, and 'Good' overall.
Firearms discharges were down, way down, with the number of shootings on the streets of Merseyside reaching 20 year lows. No-one had been killed with a gun in the region for more than a year. But on August 6, an explosion of violence began with the fatal shooting of 22-year-old Sam Rimmer in Dingle.
Then it happened again. On August 21, 28-year-old Ashley Dale was murdered in her own home. And then the most devastating in a series of devastating incidents, one day later nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel was shot dead by gangland thug Thomas Cashman.
Still the deaths did not end, and Merseyside was rocked further by the shooting of 53-year-old Jackie Rutter in Moreton, and then the Christmas Eve shooting of Elle Edwards, just 26, outside the Lighthouse Pub in Wallasey Village.
"I've served in Merseyside Police since 1993, I started in Prescot, and then moved onto St Helens and Knowsley. During the last 30 years Merseyside has dealt with some significant high profile cases, significant incidents that have affected the community in Merseyside", said DCC Green.
"But, yeah, last summer, was the most challenging and difficult time that I have experienced throughout that service. Difficult and challenging because a number of people lost their lives, and lost their lives to the actions of individuals who clearly have no thought for anyone but themselves, no moral compass. And, everyone in the force felt that, and felt it for the families, the bereaved families.
"None of us wanted to be involved in investigations of that nature. But, what I would say, is that, being in the leadership position I was, to see how the force, our wider law enforcement colleagues from around the country, the many partners and stakeholders that we work with in and across Merseyside came together, critically with the community in response to those incidents, made me incredibly proud of Merseyside."
DCC Green recalled how, sitting in Merseyside Police HQ in Rose Hill, he awaited news of the verdict in the recent trial of Thomas Cashman feeling "sick to the pit of my stomach".
He said: "It's always about Olivia's mum, Olivia's dad, Olivia's family. Because I know first hand the impact that has, that justice has for victim's and families.
"That's the overriding emotion, and then, immediately a huge sense of relief, that what we set out to do without fear or favour, investigate the circumstances, identify where the evidence takes us, and put those responsible before the courts."
DCC Green bristles when he speaks of the men responsible for the spate of killings. He told the ECHO: "I think the whole country was appalled and devastated at the actions of thugs on the street, who are there operating for their own greed, and their own ends with no thought or concept of the implications of their actions."
So far justice has been achieved in Olivia's case, and men have been charged with the murders of Ashley and Elle. DCC Green says he has paid a visit to the Major Crimes Unit, and work is continuing into the cases of Sam and Jackie.
But DCC Green says there are reasons to be positive. The result in the case of Thomas Cashman, he believes, "maybe just maybe" has sent a message to underworld figures willing to use firearms on the streets. He said: "If you use, store or are involved in any part of the criminal use of firearms on the streets in Merseyside we will be absolutely relentless in our pursuit of you."
Now DCC Green's role has expanded from his core expertise of overseeing investigations and intelligence. As DCC, he is responsible for pushing the agenda set by his boss, Chief Constable Serena Kennedy, as agreed with the office of the Police and Crime Commissioner Emily Spurrell.
In general terms, these fall into six categories; tackling serious and organised crime, visible and neighbourhood policing, supporting victims and vulnerable people, specialist capabilities (such as the mammoth Eurovision security operation), preventing crime and anti-social behaviour and investigating and prosecuting offenders.
As part of that brief, DCC Green will begin by heading out on operations in parts of the force he is less familiar with. So far that has included spending time with response officers, forensic collision investigators and staff in the police control room. DCC Green said some of those officers, had just 24 hours earlier, responded to the death of 10-year-old Charlie Lowe, who was hit by a car on Abingdon Road in Walton.
He said: "The passion, the compassion, that I witnessed first hand, dealing with members of the public was brilliant. Public engagement with kids who had just come out of school, again, was fantastic. And this was a team of officers the day before that had dealt with some really tragic incidents. They had dealt with the tragic fatal road traffic collision of 10-year-old Charlie Lowe. I was able to speak with them 24 hours after that, these are committed people.
"Later in the evening in the control room, I sat with control room staff in dispatches. It was that shift who had taken the initial call and dealt with the allocation of resources, and again, saw the emotional impact, because they care. And then yesterday, I was out with our collision investigation unit, and again the dedication and professionalism the attention to detail, as well as the support and care of the family liaison officers.
"Across the organisation, it's the sum of all parts. Policing is complex, it's made up of lots of moving parts. So certainly my objective in the first 100 days is getting out as often as I can every week. Right across the organisation with our police staff as well as our police officers. We talk in force as we operate as one team."
That dedication also includes rooting out officers who are not up to standard, and it is true that standards in policing has been under enormous scrutiny nationally thanks to a number of horrific scandals, including the murder of Sarah Everard by serving Metropolitan Police officer Wayne Couzens, and the case of his fellow Met firearms officer and serial rapist David Carrick.
Merseyside has seen some serious cases of misconduct involving its own officers, including the recent dismissal of Chief Inspector Stephen Rice over his complicated business dealings with a property developer under criminal investigation and who was allegedly linked to organised crime. This week, the ECHO also reported on a senior detective under investigation for coercive and controlling behaviour.
DCC Green said: "If you look back the last few months to years at the high profile cases that have happened then you have got HMICFRS inspection into vetting, misogyny, racist behaviour within forces. You have got the Baroness Casey part one and part two, all the stuff, all of the reporting.
"As a force, we have recently launched our Call it Out campaign, because I know the vast majority of officers and staff within Merseyside Police uphold the high standards, values and behaviours that we absolutely expect and demand. But where that behaviour falls below that line, then none of want those people within the organisation and quite rightly we should do everything we can to make sure, that in a fair, proportionate, justified way, we investigate that, we identify those people and take the appropriate action."
DCC Green said "the vast majority of staff" are" appalled and disgusted" by misconduct or corruption. He added: "It disheartens me, it angers me, and me makes me more intent on ensuring I do everything I possibly can to ensure that the leadership across the force, demands the highest standards from our staff, because that's what our communities deserve."
Reflecting on his career, DCC Green said: "My dad had tried to join the police way back, he was born in 1934 he's still with us. He tried to get into the police, but he didn't have 20/20 vision so he was rejected. He would always talk about that through life.
"So after university my values in terms of teamwork, wanting to do some good, wanting to make sure people who do bad things should be held to account, like you know a sense of service. After university I applied to my home force, Merseyside, and in 1993 I was appointed."
The ECHO asked if, back on the beat in Prescot, he ever saw himself as the second most senior officer in his home force. He added: "Absolutely not, absolutely not. My first shift, and many of my first shifts in my first two years were out on foot, in Prescot and Rainhill, learning how to be a police constable. And as I sit here today, I am incredibly proud and privileged to have got to this position, supporting the Chief and leading this great force."
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