Nick Adderley poised to continue as Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable beyond 2023

News that Nick Adderley will continue as Northamptonshire Police Chief Constable beyond 2023 has been warmly welcomed.

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Stephen Mold confirmed on Thursday (December 1) he wants Mr Adderley to return after his current five-year contract ends in August — although he added “complex” tax and pension rules will require a special arrangement to allow him to do so. Mr Mold said: “I don’t believe that now is the right time to change Chief Constable and so I accept Nick’s personal need to retire and come back as something necessary to the future of Northamptonshire Police.”

Mr Adderley, who took over as Northamptonshire’s top cop in August 2018 after serving in Greater Manchester and Staffordshire, would normally be expected to retire after completing 30 years service. Tax and pension regulations mean it would be financially detrimental to Mr Adderley to simply extend his contract so an agreement has been reached for him to retire then return after a “short break”.

Mr Mold added: “I have taken the views of frontline police officers and staff into account and they have only confirmed my view.

“Northamptonshire Police is on a journey but I see clear signs of improvement. Nick 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.

“I believe those plans for better policing in Northamptonshire will be carried through if we keep up the momentum, not just standing still but meeting my ambitions to provide the highest standard of policing for the people of this county. I believe Nick is the best person to lead the force on this journey and I will hold him to account for how well he does that.

“Policing is subject to demands and drivers that change every day. Alongside that, recruitment to policing like other professions, is challenging and I will expect Nick to ensure his leadership team is the best it can be.”

The move has been widely backed by social media posts hailing Mr Adderley as “absolutely the right man for the job and one of the best chief constables Northamptonshire Police has ever had”.

And Sam Dobbs, chair of Northamptonshire's Police Federation which represents rank and file officers, added: “The challenges for policing are currently huge which is why strong, emotionally intelligent leadership and continuity is vital for our members and our county and why this is a sound and sensible decision.”

Mr Adderley has overseen significant improvements since a damning report in 2019 labelled Northamptonshire Police inadequate. He said: “I firmly believe that continuity of leadership, at this crucial time, is essential to maintain and in some areas accelerate our performance improvements.

“The communities of Northamptonshire deserve the very best policing services we can provide and I am grateful to for the opportunity to continue leading this proud force to ensure that they get exactly that.”