The Chief Constable of Merseyside Police has announced he will step down.
Andy Cooke has informed Merseyside’s Police Commissioner on his intention to retire and take up a ‘new appointment’.
He has served with the police for more than 35 years, having joined Merseyside Police in 1985. Chief Constable Cooke has been commended on 10 occasions and, in 2014, was awarded the Queen’s Policing Medal.
Chief Constable Cooke has been Merseyside’s most senior police officer for nearly five years since being appointed by the Police Commissioner, Jane Kennedy, in July 2016.
Since then, he has also been the lead for serious and organised crime on the National Police Chiefs’ Council, and the National Policing lead for all crime.
Merseyside’s Police Commissioner Jane Kennedy said: “It is with very mixed emotions that I am announcing Andy Cooke’s decision to retire as Chief Constable of Merseyside Police. He will leave the force in April 2021.
“On behalf of the people of Merseyside, I offer Andy my heartfelt thanks for his commitment to policing and to Merseyside over more than three decades. Andy has served the people of Merseyside since 1985 with unwavering courage, integrity and dedication.”