South Yorkshire Police Chief Constable steps down

“He’s done 31 years and feels the time has come to retire. He was very clear when I saw him. He feels he has done his bit - he’s a relatively young man and there are other things to do in life.”

“It’s a very pressurised job, probably one of the most pressurised of jobs in the country so I don’t blame him for going.

“The unique thing about South Yorkshire Police is that we’ve had all the challenges other forces are coping with in relation to austerity and balancing the books but we’ve also had not one but a number of high profile, very emotive issues that have had to be dealt with.

“Many would have buckled under the strain of just one of these but to carry on with the strain of all these things has been quite a challenge.

“All credit to the chief constable that he has remained strong throughout that time when a lot of people would have simply given up and walked away.”