Police chief Craig Mackey recalls dark days

Mr Mackey said he felt "empty" when told he had lost an officer

The chief constable of Cumbria Police has spoken of "devastating" times as he leaves the force after five years.

On Tuesday it was announced that Craig Mackey is the new Deputy Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

The 49-year-old, who was in charge during the Derrick Bird shootings and the death of Pc Bill Barker, said he had faced dark "devastating" days.

But he also told the BBC that he had been "incredibly lucky and privileged" to work in Cumbria.

In November 2009, Pc Barker, 44, was directing motorists off the Northside Bridge in Workington during floods when it collapsed and he was swept to his death.

Taxi driver Bird, 52, shot dead 12 people in west Cumbria in June 2010 before turning the gun on himself.

'Eye of the storm'

Mr Mackey, who joined the Cumbria force in 2007, said: "We had devastating floods in the county and you could not help but be moved by the impact they had on real people.

"And we, like everyone else, were part of it. When I heard the news I felt empty, completely and utterly empty. It was the call no-one wants to hear - we had lost an officer."

And speaking of Bird's rampage, he said: "Every conceivable human emotion goes through your head when you are in the eye of the storm.

"On a human level you understand immediately what impact this is going to have on the county and individuals. People report about such events as statistics and numbers - but they are people."

Mr Mackey joined the police in 1984 and has served in Wiltshire, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary and Gloucestershire Constabulary.

A father-of-one, he was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in the New Year's Honours of 2009.

He added: "I have been incredibly lucky and privileged to have been the chief constable of Cumbria and to work with some amazing people.

"But this is a different opportunity, the new opportunity arose - and thankfully I've been successful." He will begin is new job in the new year.