Chief Constable Michael Fuller said:

'I am delighted to have been confirmed in the role of Chief Inspector of the Crown Prosecution Service and look forward to a new challenge which I hope to take up in April.  However, I will be leaving Kent with a sense of sadness after six very enjoyable years and I would like to pay tribute to all the officers and staff of the Kent force for their hard work and dedication.

 Chief Constable Michael Fuller announces his retirement from Kent Police. 

'When I came to Kent I had a vision for policing in the county that included a much more neighbourhood focused approach, with closer working with the local communities across the county.

'We have achieved that and worked with our partners to make Kent one of the safest places to live. Each policing district now has its own dedicated neighbourhood task team, in addition to the neighbourhood policing teams. Each are able to rapidly respond to public concerns, and is just one example of the ways in which we are tackling and driving down anti-social behaviour.

'The latest Home Office figures, released last week, show a significant drop in crime across the county, and this continues a downward trend that has been evident for a number of years.

'Satisfaction amongst victims of crime is at the highest levels we have seen at 86.8%.'

Achievements

My achievements include:

• The number of police officers has increased by 263, PCSOs by 329 and police staff employees by 485.
• Rise in satisfaction with police from the victims of crime from 81.4% when first recorded in March 2005 to 86.6% today.
• Reduction in overall crime by 22.9% from 102,819 crimes reported per year to 79,276.
• Rise in detection rate from 25.4% to 34.8%.
• The conviction of six people and the recovery, so far, of more than twenty one million pounds from the Securitas robbery at Tonbridge.
• The introduction of both neighbourhood task teams and neighbourhood policing teams to every policing district in Kent.
• The use of an Automatic Number Plate Recognition system across Kent that has enabled officers to target criminals.
• Preserving Kent Police’s identity whilst achieving significant savings by collaborating with Essex Police.
• Kent is one of only eight forces graded ‘good’ by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in 2009 for the Policing Pledge.

'I believe that the new Chief Constable will have a very firm foundation on which to build and to take this excellent force onwards to face the challenges that lie ahead.'

The future for Kent Police

Kent Police Authority Chair, Ann Barnes, gives her response to Chief Constable Michael Fuller's departure.

Ann Barnes, Chair of the Kent Police Authority said: ‘Since his appointment here in Kent, Mr Fuller has made a significant difference in raising the profile of the force. His work has led to a number of successes including neighbourhood policing, introduction of task teams, and our collaboration work with Essex Police.

‘I would like to congratulate Mr Fuller on his new appointment and wish him every success in the future. He will be missed but we have a strong senior team here in Kent who will take us forward in 2010.

‘We are fortunate to have a very experienced and capable deputy in Adrian Leppard, with whom we have a very good working relationship, and we are delighted that he is stepping up to the role of temporary Chief Constable. We are confident that Adrian will do an excellent job for us whilst we seek a long-term replacement.

‘It is anticipated that a new, permanent, Chief Constable will be in position by the end of the summer.’

Posted on: 2 February 2010