Bedfordshire Chief Constable pledges future to the force

Bedfordshire’s Chief Constable Trevor Rodenhurst has underlined his commitment to the force by extending his career past his 30 years’ service.

Officers usually retire after completing three decades with policing, but a scheme has been introduced to allow them to carry on their service as a warranted officer in an existing or agreed alternative role.

Mr Rodenhurst has completed his full 30 years of pensionable service but with the support of the Police and Crime Commissioner has opted into this 30 plus scheme which is currently available to every officer in Bedfordshire at this stage of service. Bedfordshire also currently has an enhanced offer of this for constables and sergeants aimed at retaining experience in these ranks.

He will need to retire for one month before being re-hired and therefore Deputy Chief Constable Dan Vajzovic will take on the responsibility of Temporary Chief Constable during October.

Mr Rodenhurst said: “Bedfordshire is an excellent force which is making great progress thanks to the dedication and effort of our workforce.

“I recently held events with the entire organisation where I set out our future challenges and my vision for the future of Bedfordshire Police. This decision to extend my service shows I’m committed to being part of the exciting journey to continue to build on, and improve, the service we provide to the public of Bedfordshire.

“The scheme has individual benefits, but also organisational as it enables us to retain experience and reduces costs associated with attrition for the force. We are bucking the trend when it comes to retaining our staff with latest figures showing that more people are staying here in Bedfordshire with the turnover rate continuing to reduce which goes against a national trend which is increasing. This scheme is another incentive to encourage our talented officers to remain with Bedfordshire and help us continue to drive improvements to the service we provide to our communities."

The decision has been backed by Police and Crime Commissioner John Tizard.

He said: "Trevor has made a great contribution to our county and, I am confident, he will do so for many more years as Chief Constable.  He is widely respected across this police service, with our partners across the county, and nationally in policing.

"I readily agreed to Trevor’s request to take advantage of the national 30 year plus scheme, a scheme that is available to police officers of all ranks. We need the experience and commitment of good officers who seek to extend their service beyond 30 years.

"As Trevor says in his statement, we face many challenges and some fantastic opportunities.  As I launch my Police and Crime Plan, I look forward to working with Trevor and to holding him to account for delivering an effective and efficient police service during my tenure as PCC."