Cumbria Police chief announces retirement
Chief Constable Michelle Skeer made the announcement yesterday
The Chief Constable of Cumbria Police has announced that she will be retiring from the force. Michelle Skeer has been at the helm since 2018, having served with the force for over 30 years.
In a statement, Skeer said: “It’s with mixed emotions that after a long and wonderful career with Cumbria Constabulary I will be retiring as Chief Constable in the summer.
“I have enjoyed every moment of my career in policing and am lucky to have worked at every rank across the force. It has been a great honour for me to serve the communities of Cumbria in the role of Chief Constable in recent years.
“This is a great force, I am proud to lead the Officers and Staff at Cumbria Constabulary who face difficult situations daily and work hard to protect those who are vulnerable or need our help, tackle crime and bring offenders to justice.
“The performance of the force is good and we continually strive to improve the service we give to our communities."
She will now take up a new position as an inspectorof police and fire and rescue services for His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary in England and Wales and Inspector of Fire and Rescue in England.
Speaking on the announcement, Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall said: “Whilst I will be extremely sorry to lose Chief Constable Michelle Skeer QPM to HMICFRS, I am of course delighted that she has been selected in a highly competitive process for appointment to this important role.
"Mrs Skeer has served the residents of Cumbria with distinction for 33 years including some very difficult policing and organisational challenges. She leaves the force with more officers than we have ever had and with the force highly rated nationally, delivering exceptional service to the residents of Cumbria, she will be a hard act to follow.
“Her appointment is of course national recognition of her personal qualities and experience as a Chief Constable of a top performing Police Force, it is also a reflection on the service delivered by Cumbria Police."