Fed chair pays tribute to former Assistant Chief Constable Chris Johnson

4 July 2023

“I miss Chris’ advice and guidance greatly. He never once sought to control me or influence my decisions. He supported me and reminded me what was most important in life – family, and to maintain perspective in everything.

“He was an inspirational police officer and an inspirational leader but he was also an inspirational man.”

In a special tribute piece, the chair of West Midlands Police Federation Rich Cooke talks of the legacy former Assistant Chief Constable Chris Johnson leaves behind.

Chris, 55, died in April, after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND) in 2018. He worked up until 2020, following 29 years in service, which is when his condition worsened and he was forced to retire.

Since his diagnosis, Chris, along with Federation members, colleagues and his loved ones have helped to raise more than £100,000 in honour of the father-of-two, money which has been split between the MNDA (Motor Neurone Disease Association) and Primrose Hospice, in Bromsgrove, which has supported the family.

“I was so sad to hear of Chris’ passing and that sadness, I know rippled through the Force,” said Rich.

It was when Rich first became a Federation representative in 2012 that Chris first introduced himself, the branch chair recalls.

Former Assistant Chief Constable Chris Johnson and wife Sharon.

He continued: “Chris was a superintendent and was keen to introduce himself to me and congratulate me on my role. I remember that conversation precisely because of how much I felt valued and encouraged, without qualification. That might seem a relatively simple example of manners and good practice, but my experience of that is rare as a Fed rep.

“This inclusive leadership style was my first experience with Chris and I was enthused to meet him and do the best I could as a result.

“Moving on through the months and years we went through some difficult times for colleagues as austerity-hit hard and we had to rationalise and reduce our service in some very painful ways. Throughout this, I raised many concerns and challenges, I never felt dismissed by Chris, even where there was disagreement, he always looked for common ground and bought people from different sides together. I always felt even disagreements were valued.”

Having eventually gone their separate ways, Rich explained how their paths next met when he was elected as chair of the Federation in 2018.

“By this time Chris was an assistant chief constable,” says Rich, adding: “Again he took the time to warmly congratulate me with words I won’t forget but will remain personal.

“As chair, I wanted to revolutionise the Force’s approach to officer assaults and I found Chris a powerful ally. We set up the Assaults Gold Group to oversee, scrutinise and ultimately improve the experience and outcomes for our own officers who were assaulted.

“One of the more controversial issues I campaigned on was access for more officers to Taser. Sometimes it was difficult to see real progress and the part you played in it. Chris’s knack was in helping people like me to see the bigger picture and how our efforts had a real impact.

“At my request, Chris had become my mentor and those meetings were completely ‘man to man’ - no agenda or rank.”

Chris continued to mentor Rich despite his diagnosis, with the pair even meeting in hospital, during one of his treatments, for lunch.

“He really went out of his way to help me, even while coming to terms with the worst news that his life would be cut abruptly short. And when I subsequently went through personal and professional difficulties within the Federation, and when my own son was born early with a heart condition, Chris kept in touch and was always there to help in any way he could.

“I miss Chris’s advice and guidance greatly. He never once sought to control or influence my decisions. He simply supported me and reminded me what was most important in life – family, and to maintain perspective in everything - ‘make sure you respond, don’t react’ he once told me.

“I feel very honoured to have met Chris and I know I’ll never forget him. He left this world way too soon for those he leaves behind, especially Sharon and his lovely family of course, but he certainly left a legacy of overwhelming love amongst his family, many friends and colleagues in West Midlands Police - and far beyond.”

More than 500 people attended Chris’ funeral, whether they were in-person or watching online, a service that his wife, Sharon called ‘a celebration of his life’.

“Chris wanted his funeral to be a celebration of his life and that’s exactly what it was,” said Sharon, a former West Midlands police officer, who made the decision to retire in 2022, so she could help care for her husband.

Chris and his family enjoying Disney.

Sharon recalls how she met Chris when she was relatively new in service - the pair got on immediately, she explains.

“We’d had a few drinks on a night out and got together. We moved in together three to four weeks later and the rest, as they say, is history,” she added.

“The job was his everything - behind me and the kids, of course. He was always so loving and caring. He was a very hands-on dad - I remember, he’d spend hours crafting with them, making sure they had the biggest and best costumes on World Book Day.

“We had so many happy memories together, as a family.”

Sharon said that since Chris died, she has learnt a lot about who he was as a police officer.

“He was the type of man - there was just something about him - that people liked. Even as he rose through the ranks, it never changed him as a person,” she explained.

“I’ve been told how every Monday morning - until the day he left the Force - he would walk through the corridor, hands in pockets, singing, ‘oh what a beautiful morning’.

“His favourite quote was ‘people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel’ and that was Chris in a nutshell.

Chris’s last words to Sharon were ‘I love you’, before he died peacefully, having developed pneumonia one week before.

“His body might’ve failed him but his mind never did. He was always the man I love, he was still my Chris, right up until the moment he left us.”