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Chief Constable Serena Kennedy has announced that she will be retiring from Merseyside Police in August after nearly five years in charge.
She said that the “time is right for someone new to bring their vision and ideas” to the force and build on her time there. She joined Merseyside Police eight years ago as Assistant Chief, rising to Deputy Chief before taking on the top role. CC Kennedy is the first woman to hold the rank of Chief Constable in Merseyside.
The force will have its next inspection by HMICFRS in March next year and CC Kennedy said it was important for her successor to have the opportunity to prepare for this.
Speaking about her decision, she said it had been “an extraordinary journey” and that she had “loved every moment of leading a police force, which has its communities at the heart of everything it does.”
“The collective journey we have taken has been marked by moments of pride, joy, and sorrow. We have faced some of the greatest challenges Merseyside has encountered, but we have faced them together as a force.
“We have dealt with high-profile incidents, which have had a huge impact on our communities and families, including the Covid pandemic, the bombing at the Liverpool Women’s Hospital; the murders of Sam Rimmer, Ashley Dale, Olivia Pratt-Korbel, Jackie Rutter and Elle Edwards in 2022; and the murders of Bebe, Elsie and Alice and the attempted murders of eight other children and two adults at the Hart Space in Southport last year.”
CC Serena Kennedy.
Merseyside Police Commissioner Emily Spurrell thanked CC Kennedy for her commitment to policing, with a career spanning more than three decades, calling her an “exemplary leader.”
The process to recruit a new Chief Constable will start later this month.
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