Serena Kennedy Welcomes Rob Carden as New Chief Constable of Merseyside Police

The outgoing Chief Constable of Merseyside Police is warmly welcoming her successor, as she brings to a close four an a half years at the helm of the constabulary.

Rob Carden will take the place of Serena Kennedy tomorrow; she's expressing her confidence in his leadership and deep-rooted commitment to the region, and describes his appointment as a homecoming:

“I have told him that he’s coming back to the best police force in the country,” she said. “I’ve known Rob for quite a long time; he was part of my chief officer team before he went off to be the deputy and then the Chief in Cumbria.

"He’s a local lad so he’s passionate about Merseyside. He cares deeply about the communities here, his family lives here and his dad was a member of Merseyside Police.”

Carden’s return marks a significant moment for the force, which Kennedy says she is leaving “in really safe hands.” She added, “He cares about Merseyside Police and making sure that we continue to deliver a fantastic service to the communities of Merseyside.”

During her tenure, Kennedy focused on preserving the force’s strong reputation and rebuilding public trust. “Part of my priority when I became the chief was to maintain that first-class reputation,” she explained. “Trust and confidence in policing has taken a battering over the past few years so I think it’s really important that we continue that focus in building trust and confidence, and listening to the voices of all of our communities, understanding what’s impacting on them.”

Under her leadership, Merseyside Police has maintained a public trust rating of 74%, well above the national average, which currently sits in the 50s.

However, Kennedy acknowledged that challenges remain. “We know there is a confidence gap from some of our communities where they don’t have that confidence in us,” she said. “So it’s about making sure that we engage with all cross sections of our community and give them the confidence that we’re doing a good job and will be here to support them.”

First for all the latest news from across the UK every hour on Hits Radio on DAB, at hitsradio.co.uk and on the Rayo app.