Plan for temporary chief constable in Northamptonshire before Nick Adderley returns confirmed

A plan for Northamptonshire Police’s chief constable to “retire” for 34 days before resuming his job has been approved.

Nick Adderley was appointed to the force’s top job in 2018 and was due to step down in the spring before he was offered a new contract.

Mr Adderley, aged 57, will leave between Monday, February 27 and Sunday, April 2 and a temporary chief constable who is yet to be appointed will take over his role for that time. A panel, including councillors, officially rubber stamped his appointment on Friday (January 13) after a proposal by police, fire and crime commissioner Stephen Mold at a meeting on Wednesday (January 11).

Mr Adderley’s new £165,000-a-year contract will initially be for two-and-a-half years. The chief constable said his “real motivation” in wanting to continue in his role is to know that once he leaves the force permanently, he will have “earned [his] keep” and improved it permanently.

He said: “My commitment to Northamptonshire Police and to the public of Northamptonshire remains resolute and focused in ensuring that we become an outstanding public service and one to be proud of.”

His salary is set to increase from £159,494 and his contract could still be extended further than 2025. He has completed 30 years in policing, after which officers normally retire. Police rules mean that if Mr Adderley did not take the planned break from his position, his pension would decrease.

Mr Adderley said while Northamptonshire Police has improved under his leadership since 2018, there is still more to do to “change the culture” in what he said is the country’s youngest force in terms of experience.

Mr Mold told the Northamptonshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel that Mr Adderley had been the “outstanding candidate” of four applicants in 2018 in a rigorous two-day interview. He said they share an “outstanding working relationship” and that Mr Adderley has overseen “real performance improvements” over recent years.

The temporary chief constable is set to be confirmed by the panel at another meeting on Thursday, February 2.