Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police Lisa Winward to step down after career spanning 30 years

Chief Constable Winward said: “I am immensely proud to have been a police officer and public servant for 30 years, and it has been an absolute privilege and honour to serve as the Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police for over five years.

“My heartfelt appreciation goes to each and every member of our team here at North Yorkshire Police who consistently display relentless dedication and hard work to keep our communities safe and feeling safe.

"North Yorkshire is truly an amazing place full of lovely people and I can think of no better place to have served during my policing career.

“It was a very difficult decision to make but I feel that the time is right for me to retire.

"I will still be here for several months and look forward to saying goodbyes in person.”

Chief Constable Winward began her policing journey as a volunteer Special Constable in York.

Following service through the ranks of Constable through to Chief Inspector for Humberside Police, she resumed her service to North Yorkshire in 2008, serving the City of York as Chief Inspector, Superintendent and Commander between 2009 and 2013.

Chief Constable Winward has served with distinction in key roles at the heart of North Yorkshire Police including Executive Officer to the then-Chief Constable, Head of Uniformed Operations, Major Crime, Specialist Operations, Criminal Justice, and Force Intelligence.

After leading the local policing portfolio as Assistant Chief Constable throughout 2016, in February 2017 she became Deputy Chief Constable at North Yorkshire Police and in August 2018, was confirmed as Chief Constable.

Paying tribute to Chief Constable Winward, Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe said: “On behalf of the public, and personally, I would like to thank Chief Constable Lisa Winward for her distinguished service to our communities and to North Yorkshire Police, her dedication of over 30 years of public service and collaboration has shone through while serving as a leader here at North Yorkshire Police."

An announcement about the arrangements for appointing Chief Constable Winward’s successor will be made in due course.