James Smith

James has nearly 50 years in policing. James has held senior posts in the United Kingdom, the Cayman Islands and Royal Turks and Caicos islands Police where he retired as Commissioner in July 2019. James currently resides in the south of France and is a member of the Association of Chiefs of Police in the UK and also in the Caribbean and a member of the I.A.C.P. 

James began his career in Scotland as a patrol officer where he was then seconded to the Royal Hong Kong Police Force as an inspector. James led uniform and CID teams and was in charge of an Anti-Riot platoon and emergency response unit. Returning to Scotland he rose through the ranks and was a Chief Superintendent in Lothian and Borders Police where he was in charge of central Edinburgh, responsible for a great deal of significant events, including marches, demonstrations, multiple high profile public events, the Scottish Parliament  and command of Firearms operations. With a division of uniform and C.I.D teams, he had the privilege of being in command of the policing of famous the Edinburgh International Tattoo for four years as well as protection of the Royal Family at the Palace of Holyrood House.

Following completion of the Strategic Command Course at Bramshill, James was successful in gaining a position as Commander in the London Metropolitan Police, with operational responsibility for seven London Boroughs as well as being tasked with the introduction of the Safer Neighborhood program, across London. This major project brought community policing to all of London with dedicated teams in every neighborhood, deploying more than 3,500 additional officers dedicated to community policing. As ‘Gold” Commander for London he took charge of numerous significant operations including prison riots, firearms operations, major crime investigations and played a significant role in the response to the terrorist bombings in 2005.

James later joined the Civil Nuclear Constabulary as Deputy Chief and led the organisation as Acting Chief Constable for a year. During his tenure the Force, which is responsible for the entire United Kingdom civil nuclear establishments, the force was modernized and professionalized to become a leading partner in U.K. law enforcement. Following on from this position, he provided Operational oversight and Strategic direction to a major corruption inquiry involving senior government Ministers, these individuals are currently on trial.

Finally in February 2015 James was selected as Commissioner of the Royal Turks and Caicos Police Force and for the past four and a half years has led that force at a time of significant challenge through violent drug enabled crime and significant human trafficking. Through his leadership a number of strategic alliances and partnerships have been established, modern crime fighting techniques embraced with the outcome that during his stewardship, crime has been reduced overall by more than 30%. The Force was highly commended for its response to the 2017 hurricanes that destroyed much of its infrastructure.