KIER Pritchard has left Wiltshire Police after five years at the helm.

One of the longest serving Wiltshire Police Chief Constables, he has led the force since 2018 and served in the county for his entire 30 years in policing.

He followed in his late father’s footsteps by joining Wiltshire Police at 19 years old and has held the position of Detective at each rank of the organisation.

He started in post on March 5 2018 – coinciding with the declaration of a major incident further to the Salisbury Novichok nerve agent attack.

This proved to be the largest major incident the force and local partners have ever experienced and dominated global news for many months.

He said: “To have had the opportunity to lead the force that I have dedicated my entire professional career to, has been the greatest privilege.

“Right from joining as a new recruit in my teens to now, I have always found policing to be equal parts challenging and rewarding.

“Policing, by its very nature, is constantly evolving to keep pace with new and emerging demand but the core values have always remained the same for me – to serve and protect with compassion and integrity.”

As chair of the Local Resilience Forum in the county, Chief Constable Pritchard helped guide partner agencies and the police through the challenges of many major incidents, including the policing response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

More recently, he has overseen the implementation of a significant body of work to improve the service the force provides.

“While I cannot shy away from the challenges the Force is facing and the improvements we need to make, I remain immensely proud of all of the officers, staff and volunteers at Wiltshire Police whose unrelenting dedication to public service is inspiring,” he said.

“I am confident that the path the force is now on will see necessary improvements made and ultimately result in a better quality of service to our communities in Wiltshire.

“Finally, I would like to thank everyone who has supported me throughout my career, our fantastic communities across the county and my family.”

Wiltshire’s new Chief Constable, Catherine Roper, took over today (Monday, February 27).

Chief Constable Pritchard will move, on attachment, to the National Police Chief’s Council (NPCC) where he will begin the handover of his national portfolio – the Emergency Service Mobile Communications Programme (ESMCP) – before retiring from policing in June.