Michael Todd was a hands-on police leader as Chief Constable of Greater Manchester and as happy to be on patrol with his officers as working in his headquarters. Weeks after taking over the GMP, as head of one of the biggest forces in Britain, he took part in the arrest of four car thieves. Later, to prove that Tasers were safe, he publicly allowed himself to be incapacitated by the weapon.

His reputation as a down-to-earth “policeman's policeman” who kept in touch with the “the ground floor” of his force did not detract from his potential. When questions rose over Sir Ian Blair's future as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in the furore over the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes there was media speculation that Todd would be brought in to replace him.

Todd always maintained that he would stay in Manchester to finish his work, and the police authority recently decided to offer him another three-year contract - which would have made him one of the longest-serving chief officers in the country - but many senior officers and Home Office officials still considered him to be one of the serious contenders to succeed Blair at Scotland Yard.

Todd began his police career with Essex Police, joining in 1976 and serving both in uniform and as a detective. He went to Essex university where he took a first in government and an MPhil in politics.

He moved to London as an inspector as part of a management exchange scheme between Essex and the Metropolitan Police. Energetic, gregarious and extrovert, he was noted as a high-flyer and became an assistant chief constable in Nottinghamshire at 38.

Three years later he returned to the Metropolitan Police as Deputy Assistant Commissioner covering operational policing for northwest London. In 2000 he was promoted to Assistant Commissioner under Sir John Stevens, who was the then Commissioner, and took on responsibility for all territorial policing. He was now in overall charge of all uniformed officers in London and policing on the streets, as well public order.

He was in charge of the Yard's attempts to grapple with the May Day 2000 demonstrations. After the rioters daubed Churchill's statue Todd led a review of police tactics and won a commissioner's commendation when the next year passed with fewer problems and without embarrassment.

Todd got on well with the media: he gave 66 TV and radio interviews in 48 hours after the protests in 2001. He maintained good relations with the media through his career - one colleague called him “the publicly acceptable, confident face of policing”.

Todd commanded the policing of the Notting Hill carnival and the celebrations of the Queen's Silver Jubilee. He also oversaw the drive to curb street crime as the Home Office grew concerned at the rise in mugging figures. In 2001 he was awarded the Queen's Police Medal.

When, in 2002, he went to Manchester, he found a force beset by problems including poor performance and morale. Almost immediately he was faced with the murder of Detective Constable Stephen Oakes at the hands of Kamel Bourgass, an al-Queda terrorist, during a police raid in 2003. The aftermath of the murder led to questions over the organisation of the raid and disciplinary investigations.

The force had a reputation for institutional racism, and matters were made worse in 2003 when the BBC broadcast The Secret Policeman documentary showing recruits, including Manchester officers, expressing openly racist comments at a training centre.

In a blunt letter to his entire force Todd gave warning that he would not accept sexist, racist or homophobic behaviour and said anyone of whatever rank or position would be sacked if they acted in an unacceptable way.

In the fight to turn to the force round he brought in a tougher performance regime, which won praise from the Home Office. He also set an example and personally captured a very surprised burglar targeting a school on Stockport.

But Todd had to tread a careful path between conflicting pressures of tackling street crime and antisocial behaviour - he moved 200 police from traffic duties to walking the streets - while dealing with counter-terrorism and gun crime. He conceded that despite his efforts the gun culture might be stronger than in London and was getting worse.

He called for more officers to meet the competing demands - 11,000 was his chosen target - and clashed with the authority as he faced economies, eventually cutting back rather than expanding. Under his command the force did bring down crime figures but was still struggling to improve.

Nationally he supported traditional policing virtues and practices. He was strongly independent, resisting any attempt to weaken the power of chief constables to run their forces and keen on the reinstatement of the bobby on the beat. He believed his job was to arrest and jail criminals.

Todd became vice-president of the Association of Chief Police Officers in 2006 and a national spokesman on airport security. Manchester became the first city outside London to have its own dedicated counter-terrorism unit.

Off duty, he enjoyed mountain biking, computer games and reading, especially military and political biographies.

He is survived by his wife, Carolyn, and their daughter and twin sons.

Michael Todd, QPM, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police 2002-08, was born on August 10, 1957. He was found dead in Snowdonia on March 10, 2008, aged 50