West Yorkshire Police Chief Constable steps down due to health issues

West Yorkshire’s top officer has announced she will step down over health issues.
Chief Constable Dee Collins will retire next month.Chief Constable Dee Collins will retire next month.
Chief Constable Dee Collins will retire next month.

Chief Constable Dee Collins will leave her post at the end of April for “to face some new health challenges that I would prefer to manage in private rather than as chief constable in full public view”.

It has been well documented in the past that she has battled breast cancer dating back more than a decade.

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She said: “I have decided that it is the right time for both me and the force that I retire.

“I have very mixed emotions about retiring as I have loved my job.

“I believe that West Yorkshire Police is an excellent force and I am incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to lead the dedicated officers, staff and volunteers who work for us and the support I have generously been given by the public and the Police and Crime Commissioner.

Mark Burns-Williamson, Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for West Yorkshire, added: “Her contribution to policing in West Yorkshire has been exemplary.

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“In particular, her dedication to championing opportunities for women and leaders, which is testament to her character and will be part of her on-going legacy.

“I completely understand Dee’s reasons for retiring and wish her all the very best for the future.

“Dee has overseen some of the biggest events in the country and the most complicated investigations, often receiving international attention.”

Originally from Lymm in Cheshire, she has served 31 years in policing, 12 of those as assistant chief constable of Derbyshire Constabulary and then as chief officer of the West Yorkshire force.

In 2013 she was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal and in 2018 she was awarded a CBE for services to policing.