Chief officers

Alex Franklin-Smith was appointed interim Chief Constable in September 2024. 

With more than 20 years’ experience, Alex began his policing career in Surrey before joining Warwickshire in 2007. 

Selected as part of the National High Potential Development Scheme, he undertook a variety of uniform and detective roles in policing – reaching the role of Deputy Chief Constable in 2022. 

During his career, he’s spent time at the National Crime Agency (NCA) and has extensive experience as a strategic firearms and public order commander. He has led national programmes of work, enabling the UK’s first national tasking and coordination arrangements for law enforcement and is also the national policing lead for burglary. 

Alex holds postgraduate qualifications in Leadership and Management. 

Outside policing, he enjoys running, spending time with his family, and for his sins, is a supporter of Southampton Football Club! 

David Gardner was appointed interim Deputy Chief Constable in September 2024.

David has worked in roles across Local Policing and Protective Services since joining the force in 2001.

David has also worked nationally on secondments to the Home Office and National Crime Agency.

He is an experienced Firearms and Public order Commander and has led significant change programmes within the force including the recent modernisation of the force's digital capabilities.

Tania’s career started as a PA, moved into finance and then has predominantly been in Human Resources. 

She joined the force's HR department in 2004 - undertaking a variety of roles before becoming Director of Enabling Services for Warwickshire Police in October 2019. She previously worked within financial services for seven years.

The business areas within Enabling Services, which she leads, are:

• Business Operations
• Corporate Communications
• Human Resources
• Learning and Development
• ICT

Stephen joined policing in 2018 and took up the role as Head of Analysis and Service Improvement when Warwickshire became a standalone force.

Stephen has spent most of his career working in the housing and care sector, both for public and private organisations.

The bulk of the time was working for a large housing association in Birmingham where his final position was Director of Corporate Affairs, covering performance, strategy, research, data analysis and communications.

As Head of Analysis and Service Improvement, Stephen had responsibility for a range of functions including performance, analysis, strategy, governance, audit, HMICFRS liaison, consultation, diversity and records management.

More recently Stephen took on responsibility for change management and led on establishing the new force transformation programme.

The new directorate brings together analysis and service improvement, digital services, and information assurance business areas. It supports the force's ambition to maximise the full potential of our technology into the future.

Stephen also has responsibility for setting the strategy and driving forward innovation and new ways of working during a critical time for the organisation.

Jeff Carruthers was appointed as Chief Finance Officer in 2018.

Jeff is a qualified accountant a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance (CIPFA) and Accountancy and The Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT).

Having worked for Warwickshire County Council for the early part of his career, Jeff gained wide-ranging experience in a variety of roles both in a central finance team and working directly with the front line service providers including headteachers, social workers and engineers.

Jeff joined Warwickshire Police in 1997 as Systems Accountant.

He subsequently took up roles that involved financial and business planning, budgeting and preparing the annual statement of accounts during a period of substantial change in Warwickshire Police, national policing, and the area of technical accounting and governance.

Jeff was the finance lead for the tragic fire in a warehouse in Atherstone on Stour South Warwickshire where four of colleagues in the fire services tragically lost their lives.

It is Jeff's ambition to support the people in the Finance Directorate to be the best they can be. Both he and the team are committed to delivering cost effective financial services, ensuring there is appropriate financial control and seeking out greater efficiencies to increase our front line capacity and protect people from harm.