Sally Bourner

I served as a police officer with West Midlands Police for 30 years and retired in August 2020.

Throughout my service I worked in operational policing roles at all ranks, to Chief Superintendent, in a range of areas across the region. I have a wide knowledge and experience of partnership working, crime reduction, serious crime investigation, and, covert policing.

I played a significant role in organisational and cultural transformation and development work through my involvement in a partnership with Accenture. Through our partnership we created a Blueprint for the future of policing in the West Midlands (known as WMP2020) and delivered comprehensive transformation. The wide ranging WMP2020 programme brought people and technology together to change culture, behaviour, mindset and ways of working with a focus on service improvement and efficiency. As part of this programme, I led work to deliver and embed digital transformation in public contact.

More latterly, I led a team of over 900 colleagues who were the first point of contact with people who needed help 24/7 in West Midlands Police Contact Centres and Control Rooms. I spent the final chapter of my policing career as the Dudley Neighbourhood Policing Unit Commander working closely with partners and local people with a particular focus on community engagement, and, intervention and prevention.

Throughout my career, I always had a passion for supporting colleagues in their personal and professional development. I regularly coached and mentored colleagues at all levels and I was also actively involved with the West Midlands Association of Women in Policing, the Senior Women in Policing Network, and, LGBT Network. I was an accredited associate with the College of Policing for Fast Track and Direct Entry schemes for over 10 years.

Since retiring from policing, I have worked as part of the Practice To Progress team as both an associate and mentor. I have regularly helped people who want to join the police in my role as a recruit workshop associate. I have also mentored serving police officers in a number of forces to help them prepare for promotion. More widely I have been involved in specific people and leadership development pieces of Practice To Progress work with clients beyond policing. In 2022, I was part of a team helping a private sector organisation in the wider criminal justice arena to develop its approach to attraction, development, retention and advancement. In 2023, I have been part of a wider Practice To Progress (Fire) team working with an organisation on diversity and inclusion.

When not working, I am also an active volunteer. For example, I am a trustee of a large museum (since 2021); I garden regularly at a local heritage house (since 2022); I am an NHS volunteer helping as a marshall at COVID vaccination centres (since 2021); I organised volunteers for the dedication of the National Police Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum (2021), and, helped at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games including being part of a volunteer team that interviewed 25,000 people for volunteer roles (2021-22).