Cannock Chase Area Commander’s Lifelong Passion For Policing

Chief Inspector Becky Hyde knew she wanted to be a police officer when she was just ten years old.

“I knew I wanted to do something good when I was very young, to be part of helping the community,” she says.

Becky has just begun her role as the area commander for Cannock Chase District, with responsibility for Cannock, Rugeley and surrounding areas.

Having grown up in Lichfield and spent much of her career within the central and southern parts of the county, including three previous postings at Cannock Chase District, she brings a great deal of experience and local knowledge to the role.

She joined Staffordshire Police aged 16 as a Police Cadet, becoming a regular officer at 18. Becky spent her first four years at Cannock which included response and neighbourhood roles.

Having moved into investigative roles, Becky returned to Cannock Chase District as a Sergeant being part of response shifts and neighbourhood roles. She was promoted to Detective Inspector within CID and covered the Cannock Chase, Stafford and South Staffs areas of the force.

So, was it was a welcoming return for her when she went out on patrol in Cannock on Christmas Eve?

“Yes, it felt great coming back. I really enjoy working this part of the county. On Christmas Eve when I was on foot patrol the shopkeepers, residents and visitors to the town that I met were very friendly. Communities across Cannock and Rugeley are open and approachable and I’m looking forward to doing the best job I can for them.”

She is getting to grips with the demands of the job and says she is working with partners across the area as she looks to continue and build on the good work done by former area commander Sarah Wainwright, who has taken up a Superintendent post within Force CID.

“It’s an interesting time for Cannock Chase District. There is a lot of change across the landscape and our communities are growing. We also have the new Mill Green Designer Outlet Village which will have a great impact on the local area. We will continue to work with the developers and colleagues in other forces, such as those that manage the Cheshire Oaks site to understand the policing requirements.”

Becky says overall crime has seen a downturn across Cannock Chase district of 11 per cent however there are always challenges and tackling cross-border crime, such as County Lines drug dealing and burglary will be among her priorities.

“We work very closely with our neighbours in West Midlands Police and other forces. It is often said that crime does not respect county borders and it is true. We’re always looking to improve intelligence sharing and disrupt those who criminally target our communities across Cannock and Rugeley.”

Becky believes her previous work in offender management will be vital in her new role. Whilst enforcement is one method to disrupt, an alternative approach is working with a wide range of partners to rehabilitate and resettle offenders to enable them to make a positive contribution to their communities and deter them from future reoffending.

Becky is also looking forward to working with the Special Constabulary across the district led by Chief Inspector Sam Rollinson and she is keen to meet and support the local cadets groups.