The Home Secretary has approved the appointment of Tim Goodson to the offensive weapons homicide review oversight board.

This follows the announcement on 7 June 2023 of the appointment of James Vaughan QPM as the Chair and Dale Simon CBE as the first member of the board.  A further announcement on 29 April 2024 confirmed Kevin Ball as a further board member.

As introduced in the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, offensive weapons homicide reviews place a requirement on the police, local authorities and public health bodies in England and Wales to work together to review the circumstances of certain homicides where the victim was aged 18 or over, and the events surrounding their death involved, or were likely to have involved, the use of an offensive weapon.

The review process has been designed to ensure that best practice and lessons are taken forward and changes implemented where needed.  The aim is that these reviews will improve the national and local understanding of what causes homicide and serious violence and better equip services to prevent weapons-enabled homicides.   

The government ran an 18-month pilot which ended on 30 September 2024 in specified areas of London, West Midlands and in South Wales. An evaluation report of the pilot will be published in Parliament, in advance of a decision on whether to rollout offensive weapons homicide reviews across England and Wales.

The Oversight Board has been established to monitor and oversee the local implementation of the reviews, to consider whether lessons learned are being acted upon, and to draw together thematic learning at a national level. The Oversight Board is a non-statutory committee which will be composed of experts in safeguarding, preventing homicide and serious violence and public protection.

Appointments and re-appointments are made by the Home Secretary and are regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. This appointment has been made in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

Biography

Member: Tim Goodson

Tim Goodson is an experienced board member, system leader, company director and qualified CCAB accountant with a proven track record of supporting and advising boards.

He led a transformational clinical service review securing £720 million pounds of capital investment and was accountable for a £1.6bn health budget delivery.

He is a respected chief executive officer, director of finance and trustee and has the gravitas to navigate, influence, question and support at board level.