Chief constable 'grateful' to remain in role

Nick Adderley was due to retire next year but will stay as chief constable

The chief constable of Northamptonshire Police said he was "grateful" to be asked to remain in the role.

Nick Adderley joined the force in 2018 and was due to step down next year.

But Northamptonshire's Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold has now offered him a new contract.

Mr Adderley said his job leading the force "absolutely isn’t done".

Speaking to BBC Radio Northampton he said: "I’m grateful to Stephen Mold for having the confidence to keep me on as chief constable.

"At the heart of everything I do is loyalty and I have a great deal of loyalty for the county of Northamptonshire, they’ve accepted me as one of their own."

He said when he joined the force he wanted to make Northamptonshire the "safest county in the country".

The new contract allows him to "fulfil that ambition that I set out", he said.

Mr Addeley, who was previously the assistant chief constable in Staffordshire, added he wanted to "get the culture absolutely right so it doesn’t matter who sits in this seat in the future".

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Mr Adderley joined the police in 1992 and tax and pension rules mean he will officially retire for three weeks before returning as chief constable.

He said he would spend some time on "domestic chores" and with his grandchildren.

But he will also work on his plan for his next term because "there is too much to do, too much to achieve".

Northamptonshire's Police, Fire, and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold said Nick Addeley has overseen improvements in the county's police

Mr Mold said the chief constable "has clear plans that will further improve policing across the board: strengthening the links between neighbourhood teams and the people they serve, better fighting crime and arresting more offenders".

He said Mr Adderley was "the best person to lead the force".

The appointment is subject to confirmation by the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Panel.