Former Assistant Chief Constable Chris Johnson was not just an inspiring police officer and leader but also an inspiring man, according to West Midlands Police Federation chair Rich Cooke.

Chris sadly died on Thursday.

He had retired from the Force in September 2020, almost two years after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND). He had given 29 years’ service to policing.

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

“He was an inspirational police officer, and an inspirational leader but he was also an inspirational man. He was dealt a cruel hand when he was diagnosed with MND just six months after becoming our ACC but he continued to inspire people with the strength and determination he showed in the face of that diagnosis.

“Our thoughts are, of course, with his wife, Sharon, his two children and also his wider family and friends. The Force will mourn his loss but no one will feel that loss more keenly than his family.”

With an act that typified his attitude towards MND, on the day Chris left Force Headquarters for the last time, he completed a mission to walk 5,000 steps for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) and for the 5,000 people in the UK living with the illness.

He said at the time: “That pain and discomfort is nothing compared to hopefully raising awareness around Motor Neurone Disease. You can’t choose much with this disease. There’s no known cause and no known cure, and your life-time chance of getting it is one in 300.

“If you dwell on that sort of stuff, I think it would bring you down. So, the only thing you can control is how you choose to face it.

“I’m determined not to be defined by the disease and to keep fighting every day, one for myself but, more importantly, for Sharon and the children.

“I’m determined to be here for as long as possible.”

Fund-raising appeals have raised almost £100,000 in his name and this has been split between MNDA and Primrose Hospice in Bromsgrove which has supported the family.