Wiltshire Police chief constable announces intention to retire
The chief constable of Wiltshire Police has announced he will retire from his position next June at the end of his 30 years’ service.
Kier Pritchard, who has dedicated his entire policing career to Wiltshire, has been chief constable since March 2018. On his first day in the job he had to deal with “one of the most challenging periods” in the force’s history following the Salisbury Novichok nerve agent attack.
Mr Pritchard said: “I have served with Wiltshire Police for my entire career. The opportunity to lead this force as chief has been the greatest privilege of my professional career.
“It really has been an honour serving the communities of Wiltshire. This county is very close to my heart – it is my home, it is where my family have grown up, and it is also where I followed in the footsteps of my late father in joining Wiltshire Police at the age of 19 in 1993. Taken together, we have provided over 60 years of continued public service.”
He added: “It has always been my intention to retire at 30 years’ service so that I can look to the next stage of my life with my family. At this point I will have served as chief constable in Wiltshire for over five years.
“Policing is such a rewarding and unique career. Each and every day I am inspired by what my officers, staff and volunteers do to serve and protect our communities and I am incredibly proud of their achievements.
“I would like to thank the public and our partners for their continued support for policing in our county – and I would also like to thank those who I have served alongside over the years, together with those who will go on to continue to serve the public of Wiltshire in the future.”
Throughout his service, Mr Pritchard has held the position of detective in each rank, culminating in leading the force response to major and serious crime as the detective chief superintendent between 2011 and 2014, where he also held national responsibilities through the Homicide Working Group.
As one of the longest serving chief constables in the recent force history, Mr Pritchard started in post on March 5, 2018 – coinciding with the declaration of a major incident following to the Salisbury Novichok nerve agent attack. This proved to be the largest major incident the force and local partners had experienced and dominated global news for many months, said Wiltshire Police.
As the chair of the Local Resilience Forum in the county, Mr Pritchard has guided partner agencies and the force through the challenges of many major incidents, including the policing response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Mr Pritchard said he remains “fully committed” to leading the force between now and his departure in 2023.
He added: “There is still a great deal to do as we seek to deliver service-wide improvements arising from the recent His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services PEEL inspection programme. Whilst solid progress is being made, I remain resolutely focused on continuing with our programme of improvement and supporting the police and crime commissioner (PCC) in the delivery of the Police and Crime Plan.”
Wiltshire’s PCC Philip Wilkinson thanked Mr Pritchard for his dedication to policing.
He said: “Chief Constable Kier Pritchard has spent his career dedicated to policing in Wiltshire and I thank him for that public service and the years he has spent keeping the county’s residents safe. It has been evident to me, since I became PCC, just how much Kier loves policing and has relished being at the helm of Wiltshire Police.
“Under his leadership, Wiltshire Police faced one of the most challenging periods of its history with the nerve agent attack on Salisbury – not many chief constables can say they successfully dealt with an international incident on their first day in the job.
“I have enjoyed my time working closely with Kier and wish him all the best for the future with whatever challenges he chooses to take once retirement happens.
“In the meantime, we both remained focused on improving Wiltshire Police, delivering the police and crime plan and leading the force through the Engage process while proactively addressing those areas of concern raised in the latest PEEL assessment.”
Mr Wilkinson said details on the recruitment process for the next chief constable will be made available by his office shortly “to ensure a seamless transition for the public”.