The chief constable of Cumbria police has announced her retirement after 33 years with the force.
Michelle Skeer joined Cumbria Constabulary in February 1990 and was appointed as director of professional standards in 2007.
She was appointed assistant chief constable in 2009 and was promoted to chief constable in 2018.
She was awarded Queen’s Policing Medal (QPM) for her distinguished service in the News Year’s honours list, December 2017.
She said: “It’s with mixed emotions that after a long and wonderful career with Cumbria Constabulary I will be retiring 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.
“I was born in Cumbria and have lived and worked here during my whole career, it’s a fantastic place to live. We police by consent and need to maintain the legitimacy and support of our communities. We have great support from our communities in Cumbria and I’d like to thank them for the help and support they give to me, and my officers and staff daily.
“It hasn’t been an easy decision to retire, however after 33 years I feel now is a good time. The force is in a good position with a strong senior leadership team, who are able to take on the challenges of policing this unique area.
“However, I am not able to step away from policing and retire altogether as I still enjoy the challenges of policing and the emergency services, and therefore, I can confirm I am delighted to have been successfully selected for the role as His Majesty’s Inspector of Constabulary and His Majesty’s Inspector of Fire and Rescue. I am looking forward to this new challenge.
“We have a number of challenges in force ahead – tackling criminality, keeping victims and vulnerable people safe, driving an inclusive and supportive culture and showcasing our work in our current inspection, and I will continue to lead the force and serve the local community over the next few months.”
Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall said: “Whilst I will be extremely sorry to lose Mrs Skeer, 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. Mrs Skeer will, I know, bring her experience to bear to help improve both policing and fire services across the country in her work with HMICFRS, and she leaves with our very best wishes and gratitude for her outstanding service to Cumbria.”
