Andrew Simpson

Andrew Simpson is a former Royal Navy seaman and prison officer with expertise in prison riot control. He was centre manager for Mitie Care and Custody at Campsfield House IRC in 2014.

Royal Navy

Simpson was a Leading Seaman in the Royal Navy from August 1980 to January 1988. He specialised in electronic warfare and served on HMS Battleaxe and HMS Brilliant. He was onboard HMS Antelope when it was bombed by Argentina during the Falklands/Malvinas war, for which he was awarded the South Atlantic medal.

Prison service

• From 1988 to 1998, Simpson was a prison custody officer at HMP Brixton and HMP Leeds, and a trainer at the prison service's control and restraint national centres.

• From 1998 to 2005, he was an operation manager and Deputy Head of Control and Restraint (C&R) at the prison service's National Training Centre

• From April 2005 to October 2011 Simpson was Head of the prison service's National Tactical Response Group, also known as the Tornado team. In this role he was "Head of a national special operations and training function directing two national depots/training centres. Developing and delivering national and international training contracts to public and private suppliers of custodial care and providing a specialist response to incidents involving Hostage rescue, riot/public order control and rescue/intervention at height. Development, deployment and growth of a fleet of emergency response vehicles. Tactical Advisor to Ministers and Senior Managers, implementing the successful resolution of politically sensitive Prison related incidents."

Bow Wave Solutions Ltd

He worked as a consultant for Bow Wave Solutions Ltd in Doncaster from 2011 to 2013.

Mitie Care and Custody

Simpson was a senior operational manager for Mitie Care and Custody at Campsfield House IRC from April 2012. Campsfield was gutted by a major fire in October 2013, which spread due to an absence of sprinklers, despite recommendations from the fire brigade. Simpson says he "project managed the successful completion of a major refurbishment of the centre and the installation of a Fire suppression system during 2013 and 2014." He took over the role of centre manager from Paul Morrison until July 2014 and says he "supported the mobilisation of the Heathrow contract", a reference to Mitie's new contract to run Harmondsworth IRC and Colnbrook IRC.

First Group

In July 2014 Simpson became a business manager for the First Bus Doncaster networks.