Suffolk Constabulary’s Chief Constable Gareth Wilson announced he will retire in April next year after completing 30 years’ service, four of them in charge of the county force.

Joining as a constable in Essex in 1989, Mr Wilson worked his way through the ranks, moving to Norfolk Constabulary in 2012 and then back to Suffolk as deputy chief constable in 2014.

He led the force as temporary chief from March 2015 before being confirmed on January 2016, but is now looking forward to seeking new challenges.

Mr Wilson said: “I am extremely proud of the officers and staff under my command who day-in and day-out work tremendously hard, often in very difficult situations.

“Much of the work they do is unsung, but the dedication they show to their communities and the difference they make to people’s lives cannot be understated.

“During my tenure there have been many challenges, both in terms of the financial landscape and speed with which the nature of crime is changing.

“However, Suffolk Constabulary has responded to every challenge and I know it will continue to do so in the future.”

During his time in Essex Mr Wilson spent his 23 years in CID and uniformed roles, including a significant period of time as a Senior Investigating Officer.

When he left Essex Mr Wilson was Detective Chief Superintendent for the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.

In his role as Chief Constable Mr Wilson chairs the National Police Chief’s Council Committee on Equality, Diversity and Human Rights, and is also the national lead for Investigations.

Regionally, Mr Wilson is also the lead Chief Constable for the seven force collaboration programme and the lead for Disaster Victim Identification.

Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore said: “Gareth has been a strong, effective and inspiring leader of Suffolk Constabulary and has led his officers through some challenging times since becoming Chief.

“I would like to thank him for his unstinting support particularly in helping me to keep the force control room in Suffolk and in the delivery of the new local policing model.

“During his tenure, the Constabulary has been consistently graded as ‘Good’ by the HMIC which is a huge credit to Gareth and of which we are justifiably proud, considering the difficult financial constraints placed upon the Constabulary, and I thank him for this.

“I have a very productive working relationship with Gareth which has developed since he joined Suffolk as Deputy Chief Constable in 2014.

“That strong working relationship has played its part in us successfully maintaining Suffolk’s reputation as a safe place to live, work, travel and invest.”