I recently met up with Mike West KPM for an exclusive and insightful podcast conversation. Mike is one of the UK’s most experienced Detectives and Senior Investigating Officers (SIO) in policing. Now an Independent Consultant, Mike served for 30 years with Devon & Cornwall Police, retiring as Detective Superintendent.
I intercepted Mike between his UK and international travels. He kindly set aside some time to discuss career highlights, investigation standards, mentors, police promotion processes, leadership perspectives, the importance of continuous professional development (CPD) and transferrable skills for those leaving policing.
Commendations and KPM
“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you. In between, the leader is a servant.” – Max Dupree
Mike received recognition in the 2025 New Years Honours List, being awarded the Kings Police Medal for ‘a distinguished Police service’. He retired in 2024 as a Detective Superintendent and Head of the Major Crime Branch.
The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) recently recognised Mike with the national SIO of the Year award, for his ‘Professionalism, dedication and commitment in delivering an outstanding service for the victims, families and communities affected by major and serious crimes’.
That commitment is clear to hear in his responses:
“To sit in a courtroom and to gain a conviction on behalf of those who have lost a loved one and lived through unimaginable tragedies, I’ve met so many mums, dads, brothers, sisters, family members and friends that have been through that tragedy and for them, when a guilty verdict has been given by the jury, to hear their gasps or sounds of satisfaction… That has to be one of the highlights for me… then, looking over to the jury and seeing their reaction when previous convictions and antecedents have been read out, and their realisation they have come to a just decision, because it’s human nature and they are always going to be questioning themselves; to see that in them is a highlight. A personal, perhaps selfish highlight… all the team working together across different functions with the family’s support …and to share hugs, perhaps receive thanks from the family, that will never leave you.”
A Wide-Ranging Discussion…
A nationally accredited PIP3 SIO since 2011 and PIP4 since 2017, Mike also covers mentoring, life beyond policing, career planning and decisions, delivering training in Vietnam, the Caribbean and how British Policing is still very highly regarded elsewhere.
On gaps and opportunities…
“Whilst we’ve made… significant strides through the training of cyber teams and digital media investigators, I believe that we (police) are still behind the curve when it comes to information technology… I think we need to dare to share more… open our doors to different resources that we can get best value from. Younger people, colleges, universities, academia… to gain access to their experience.”
Mike shares his own experiences of police promotion selection processes, including his failures at promotion boards and learning from it. Here’s a snapshot of what he has to say on that:
“So I’ve got I would think, to a significant level of the promotion process….I failed first time at every single promotion interview I went for… PC to Sergeant… all of them. And whilst those unsuccessful first goes obviously stung a bit at the time, I learned as a result and particularly when I had the opportunity to do acting or temporary roles after my personal car crashes. That probably, looking back, points to my personal imposter syndrome, which has always been there. In my view, back then I needed to prove myself and to show I was credible and worthy before I was likely to succeed….”
I asked Mike how his views and approach to leadership changed or adapted as he had gone through the ranks:
“My approach to leadership has changed over the years, I’ve always sought to maintain that sense of humour, to create that one team approach to work, where if you kick one of us, then we all limp. But I know that I’ve experienced and I’ve seen and I aimed to mirror that heroic leadership approach … I don’t know if that makes sense but.. first one in, last one out. Where if we as a team fail, it was on me and it was probably my fault… that’s not good for home life, it’s not good for my teams and it’s certainly not good for me, so I knew that I had to change that.”
On self-management, development and wellbeing:
“I recognised that I needed to change because there had been a couple of occasions particularly as an SIO that I could have gone bang, so I spoke to TRIM (Trauma risk incident management) staff members and other counsellors. That gave me a new view on a number of occasions, which made me a better leader and a better person as well… going from a more transactional to a far more transformative leader and I don’t see those as just badges. Come the end of my career I’d like to think I was far more attuned to, the need to and the ability to be a more, to use old language, a slightly softer leader.”
We also discuss different aspects of promotion historically and now, in the context of pending shifts with the promotion landscape including the ever-changing SIPP scheme and new 2026 Leadership Review.
Additionally, I asked Mike for his personal perspective on the biggest difference in moving from the Federated ranks as a DCI to the Superintendent rank.
“Being a mentor is giving without expecting.” – Unknown
You’ll want to listen in for his answer to this, especially if you’re seeking promotion beyond Sergeant and Inspector to more strategic ranks.
Finally, as with all guests on the Rank Success Police Promotion and Leadership Podcast, I asked Mike, if he could travel back in time: What advice would he offer himself as a young constable, knowing what he knows now?
Listen in for this and much more of Mike’s tips, insights and career reflections in this wide-ranging discussion!
A reminder as always, I’m happy to share my platform if you have something to say about policing and leadership issues and want to join the conversation. Visit my website or give me a free call if you want any support with your own promotion and leadership ambitions for 2026.
Kind Regards, Steve
Don’t leave your promotion to chance! Start preparing like a pro today, with instant access to proven resources like my Digital Promotion Toolkit and Police Promotion Masterclass. For more tailored guidance, get in touch for a free call. Tune in to my extensive Police Promotion Podcast for regular powerful leadership CPD and promotion insights.
