WHAT I’M CALLED: Colin. Growing up there were very few people in leadership called Colin. For that reason alone I was delighted when Colin Powell took office.
MY AGE IN YEARS: 35.
WHAT I DO: Police Area Commander for West Oxfordshire; dad-of-three; and studying for a masters in criminology at the moment. This leaves very little time for anything else (especially sleep).
WHERE I LIVE: A beautiful village not too far from Witney. West Oxfordshire really is the most beautiful place in the country.
WHO I LOVE: Mrs Paine (obviously).
HAPPIEST YEAR: Too many to choose from. This year is just lovely though.
DARKEST MOMENT: As detective chief inspector in Oxford during 2009 during an armed robbery crime series. The offences continued day after day over a period of weeks and it was causing real public alarm, as you would expect. Despite our best efforts we weren’t able to catch the offenders quickly and I felt under tremendous personal pressure to bring them to justice. I lost quite some sleep during that time but learnt a lot about resilience. Despite the pressure, the team was fantastic and they caught the offenders in the end.
PROUDEST BOAST: Comprehensive school educated, but will soon have degrees from Oxford and Cambridge (I feel torn when watching the boat race).
WORST WEAKNESS: I have a simply shocking memory. I’ve tried all kinds of memory-enhancing techniques, but now rely on making lists and taking copious notes. Sorry, what was the question again?
LESSONS LEARNED: Attitude is nine tenths of success.
DULLEST JOB: I worked at Woolworths as a teenager. Whilst it wasn’t too thrilling, it taught me the value of money – and not to stand with your hands in your pockets!
GREATEST SHAME: My dancing. Frankly I am a health and safety nightmare on the dance floor (but I won’t give up).
LIFELONG HERO: Anyone who is able to have a good laugh at themselves.
OLDEST FRIEND: As my mother points out, I am very bad at keeping up with friends. Can I take this opportunity to apologise to any old friends I haven’t seen in a while?
WIDEST SMILE: The inexhaustible fascination my three-year-old daughter has for bugs, worms and snails.
FAVOURITE DREAM: Making West Oxfordshire the single safest place to live in the country (it’s not far off from that now).
BIGGEST REGRET: Taking myself too seriously too often.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here