A former Army officer who worked with the Afghan Police is taking on a significant role with City of London Police.

Major Leo Johnson will lead the Intelligence Development department within Specialist Operations.

He starts the civilian role with the force next week as a replacement for a current officer who is moving into another post within CoLP.

The unit is the single co-ordinating hub responsible for all intelligence and information management. It provides all contact management and is the first point of contact for the initial reporting, assessment, screening and allocation of crimes.

The announcement comes just days after the force signed the Armed Forces Covenant, making a commitment to support former military personnel that have joined the ranks.

It’s the latest stage in an upgrade for the force that includes Commissioner Angela McLaren taking over at the top as the new leader in January and an on-going move to a joint headquarters that will be shared with the Courts.

The force is stepping up its work linked to policing the financial sector at the heart of the City which is focused on fraud and international offending such as boiler room scams.

Major Johnson has more than 20 years military experience as a Royal Marines Commando and then, after recovering from injuries, an Army officer before moving into civilian life.

His practical ‘hands-on’ experience includes having served as a reconnaissance sniper in the Marines and subsequently a squadron commander in the Army.

He has also coordinated military and civil multi-agency teams, including liaison between Afghan Intelligence, Afghan National Army, Afghan National Police and NGO’s in Sangin and Lashkar Gah in 2010.

He progressed to leading a team in Kabul and then planning the delivery of military assistance across the NHS, local government, police and fire & rescue services during the pandemic.

The Major has an IT degree from Kingston University, a law degree from Staffordshire University and an MBA from Cranfield University.