Simon Stancombe

Tab 01 · Profile

Profile

Simon recently completed a distinguished 30-year career with the Metropolitan Police Service and is now the Founder and Director of Stirling Resolve. In his practice, he helps governments, law enforcement agencies, security institutions, and international programmes build sustainable investigative and integrity capacity in complex, high-risk environments across domestic and international contexts. His expertise spans serious crime investigation, counter-corruption, and the full spectrum of institutional integrity, including abuse of position for sexual purpose, sexual misconduct, and whistleblowing. Simon is most effective where trust is fragile and investigative capacity is under-developed, focusing on influencing and supporting local leadership rather than substituting for it.

As OCU Commander of the Metropolitan Police's Anti-Corruption & Abuse Command since 2024, Simon leads a team of over 400 specialists through the most significant professional standards transformation in UK policing history, implementing systemic reforms across counter-corruption, sexual misconduct, abuse of position and whistleblowing. He has strengthened organisational resilience against organised crime infiltration and corruption through advanced analytical risk identification and covert compromise detection, and developed an Integrity Assurance Unit to manage and assure high-risk roles and personnel. Safeguarding and whistleblowing frameworks he embedded have supported over 320 victims and secured 98 dismissals for domestic abuse and sexual misconduct, and he contributes to the European Counter-Corruption Group, building collaborative methodology across jurisdictions. He founded Integrity Without Borders in partnership with the UN World Food Programme, designing the governance model, investigative protocols and deployment frameworks from inception to address counter-corruption and investigative capacity gaps in fragile environments.

Before this, Simon commanded the Metropolitan Police's Intelligence function (MO2) in 2023, realigning tasking and governance priorities across a 1,600-strong command and restoring performance following a critical regulatory inspection, including building intelligence relationships with Europol and US partners and leading a culture change programme using a Cultural Maturity Matrix. As Head of Sensitive Intelligence from 2021 to 2023 he was responsible for serious and organised crime intelligence, including CHIS and witness protection governance, operating under sustained public inquiry and judicial review scrutiny. From 2016 to 2021 he was a Senior Investigating Officer on Homicide & Major Crime, directing complex investigations linked to firearms, gangs, drug trafficking and international organised crime with a near 100% conviction rate, and from 2013 to 2016 he served as Senior Staff Officer to the Assistant Commissioner for Specialist Operations, providing subject matter expertise to the Head of UK Counter-Terrorism Policing and advising senior leadership during terrorist incidents and COBR crisis response.

Earlier in his career Simon led the Joint MI5/Police Intelligence Assessment Team from 2011 to 2013, covering national security threat assessment and intelligence preparedness for the London 2012 Olympic Games. From 2008 to 2011 he worked in Counter-Terrorism & International Operations (SO15), leading overseas deployments and directing investigations into terrorist threats impacting UK interests. From 2006 to 2008 he was Senior Investigating Officer and Tactical Firearms Commander on Operation Trident, the Metropolitan Police's dedicated gang violence command, combining investigative leadership, firearms command and community outreach and confidence building within affected communities.

Simon holds the College of Policing's PIP4 and PIP3 investigative accreditations, is an accredited CHIS Authorising Officer and Lead Responsible Officer for Threats to Life, and is a qualified Hostage & Crisis Negotiator; he has also managed intelligence collection across the London prison estate. He is a Fulbright Scholar and was a Visiting Researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, completed a Certificate in Analytics & AI (Decision Making) at the University of Cambridge's Judge Business School, and holds a Master of Public Administration with Distinction from the University of Portsmouth, where he received the John Alderson Award for best overall student and the Patrick Colquhoun Award for best dissertation. He also holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Anti-Money Laundering from the University of Manchester and a BA (Hons) in Enterprise, Innovation & Communication from the University of Staffordshire.

Tab 02 · Areas of expertise

Areas of expertise

• Counter-corruption systems design & integrity reform Commanded the Metropolitan Police's Anti-Corruption & Abuse function, delivering systemic reform across a 46,000-person organisation and founding Integrity Without Borders with the UN World Food Programme.
• Homicide & serious crime investigation architecture (PIP4) PIP4 accredited — one of a small cohort holding the College of Policing's highest investigative standard — underpinned by PIP3 and leadership of 50+ homicide investigations linked to firearms, gangs, drug trafficking and international organised crime.
• Organised crime & intelligence-led policing frameworks Led a 1,600-strong intelligence command spanning volume crime and community intelligence through to serious and organised crime and high-risk offenders, restoring performance and strategic alignment after a period of governance scrutiny.
• Misconduct, abuse of position & whistleblowing frameworks Developed and embedded safeguarding and whistleblowing frameworks supporting 320+ victims and securing 98 dismissals for domestic abuse and sexual misconduct.
• Donor-funded security programme design & delivery oversight Founded Integrity Without Borders in partnership with the UN World Food Programme, designing the governance model, investigative protocols and deployment frameworks to address counter-corruption and investigative capacity gaps in fragile environments.
• Institutional capability assessment & diagnostic review Operated under sustained public inquiry and judicial review scrutiny as Head of Sensitive Intelligence, building governance awareness applicable to institutional advisory environments.
• Victim-centred investigation design & safeguarding frameworks
• Senior leadership mentoring & command development

Tab 03 · Service record

Service record

• 2024 – Present OCU Commander, Anti-Corruption & Abuse Command, Metropolitan Police Service Leads a team of over 400 specialists through the most significant professional standards transformation in UK policing history, implementing systemic reforms covering counter-corruption, sexual misconduct, abuse of position and whistleblowing. Developed an Integrity Assurance Unit to manage and assure high-risk roles and personnel; embedded safeguarding and whistleblowing frameworks supporting 320+ victims and securing 98 dismissals for domestic abuse and sexual misconduct; contributor to the European Counter-Corruption Group; founded Integrity Without Borders with the UN World Food Programme.
• 2023 OCU Commander, Intelligence (MO2), Metropolitan Police Service Realigned intelligence tasking and governance priorities across a 1,600-strong command, restoring performance following a critical inspection by regulators; built intelligence relationships at regional, national and international level including Europol and US partners; led a culture change programme using a Cultural Maturity Matrix.
• 2021 – 2023 Head of Sensitive Intelligence, Metropolitan Police Service Responsible for serious and organised crime intelligence, including CHIS and witness protection governance, and institutional capability development; operated under sustained public inquiry and judicial review scrutiny.
• 2016 – 2021 Senior Investigating Officer, Homicide & Major Crime, Metropolitan Police Service Directed complex homicide investigations linked to firearms, gangs, drug trafficking and international organised crime, with a near 100% conviction rate.
• 2013 – 2016 Senior Staff Officer to Assistant Commissioner, Specialist Operations, Metropolitan Police Service Provided subject matter expertise to the Head of UK Counter-Terrorism Policing, coordinating strategic programmes and highly sensitive inquiries including Official Secrets Act breaches, and advising senior leadership during terrorist incidents and COBR crisis response.
• 2011 – 2013 Head, Joint MI5/Police Intelligence Assessment Team, MI5 Led the joint Metropolitan Police and MI5 national security intelligence assessment function, covering national security threat assessment and intelligence preparedness for the London 2012 Olympic Games.
• 2008 – 2011 Counter-Terrorism & International Operations (SO15), Metropolitan Police Service Led overseas deployments and directed investigations into terrorist threats impacting UK interests, including sensitive cross-border casework with international partners.
• 2006-2008 Operation Trident — Senior Investigating Officer & Tactical Firearms Commander Directed investigations and commanded armed tactical operations on the Metropolitan Police’s dedicated gang violence command — combining investigative leadership, firearms command and community outreach and confidence building within affected communities.

Tab 04 · Consortium delivery

Delivery within the consortium

• Supports
  Specialist Capabilities →