Described on his appointment five years ago as a “visionary chief constable”, Nick Dean has decided to remain as Cambridgeshire’s top cop.
He has withdrawn his decision to retire and, with the permission of the police and crime commissioner Darryl Preston, will extend his contract as chief constable of Cambridgeshire.
“Announcing my retirement was the hardest decision I have taken and over the past few weeks I have reflected on that decision and realised that now is not the right time for me,” he said.
“I love my role; it is an absolute privilege to serve the people of Cambridgeshire and I remain incredibly passionate about policing.”
He said he was “grateful” to Mr Preston for allowing the extension of his contract.
Mr Dean has served 31 years as a police officer, five of which have been in Cambridgeshire, where he became Chief Constable in September 2018.
For the last three years he has been the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) portfolio lead for forensics and charging.
Mr Dean was appointed as chief constable in July 31 by then police and crime commissioner Jason Ablewhite.
“When I set out on this process, it was important that I recruited a chief officer who could bring the vision, determination and resilience required to lead the constabulary,” said Mr Ablewhite.
“Nick performed very well throughout the whole assessment process and demonstrated great leadership skills. His understanding and inclusive approach to partnership working puts him in a good place to support the priorities in my police and crime plan.
“As a visionary chief constable, Nick will build on the excellent work undertaken by his predecessor, Alec Wood, to continuously innovate and improve the quality of the county’s police service whilst also protecting our communities and meeting public expectations.
“His energy and passion will help us meet the challenges ahead.”
