Chief Constable announces his retirement

Hertfordshire Constabulary Chief Constable Charlie Hall has announced his retirement today (Wednesday 4 September) after leading the force for eight years.

Currently in the same post continuously for longer than any presently serving chief constable in the country, by the time he leaves at the end of the year, Charlie will have completed more than 32 years’ police service.

He said: “It has been a total privilege to lead such a fine organisation. From the beginning my aspirations have been steadfast, to do all I can to help the constabulary grow, develop and improve for the benefit of the local communities we serve now and into the future.”

Charlie started his career with Norfolk Constabulary working in Norwich, where he served in many roles across the county up to, and including, Deputy Chief Constable. Nationally, Charlie chairs the Operations Co-ordination Committee for the National Police Chiefs’ Council and also leads for NPCC on the Police Use of Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR).  He is also the senior responsible officer for the JESIP programme, which focuses on improving the joint working between the police, fire and ambulance services and other first responders when deployed to operational incidents.

He joined Hertfordshire in October 2016 on promotion to Chief Constable and in 2017 he was awarded the Queen's Policing Medal in the New Year's Honours List.

Charlie continued: “The last eight years have flown by and there have been many changes during this time.  We have navigated the COVID years, dealt with many critical incidents and managed some truly outstanding investigations, much of which was in the public eye. We have introduced our Prevention First approach, grown the number of police officers in the county to the highest number in its history and are revitalising our police estate to be fit for the future. I remain very proud to have led such a fine workforce of committed and hard-working police officers and staff.”

He added: “It will be business as usual for me until my last day and I will do all that I can to welcome in and support the next Chief Constable when they are appointed.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Jonathan Ash-Edwards said: ““I wish the Chief Constable all the best for the future following his decision to retire at the end of the year. Charlie Hall has had a distinguished career in policing and provided serious and thoughtful leadership to the constabulary for the last eight years, now being the country’s longest continuously serving Chief Constable. He has played a leading role in making Hertfordshire the safe county it is today, while pioneering the ‘Prevention First’ approach. I have greatly enjoyed working with Charlie in the few months since my election and, on behalf of Hertfordshire, I would like to thank him for his considerable service.

“As Police and Crime Commissioner, I am responsible for the appointment of the next Chief Constable which is a duty that I take seriously. The recruitment process will get underway in due course. I will be seeking to recruit a high-calibre candidate to lead the fight against crime in Hertfordshire and provide strong operational leadership for the Constabulary for the years ahead.”