A RETIRED police chief has been honoured in the New Year Honours list for his decades of service .

Andrew Slattery, who retired earlier this year as Cumbria’s assistant chief constable after thirty years with Cumbria Police, has been awarded the Queen’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service.

The medal is given for a ‘specially distinguished record in police specific services of conspicuous merit’.

Over his three decades, Mr Slattery has worked on some of the county’s most significant cases and incidents, including murder investigations and organised crime, natural disasters and major incidents.

Most recently, he led Cumbria’s multi-agency emergency response to the Covid pandemic.

"I'm really delighted to be recognised in this way personally, but it's not just about me it's about the team effort that I've been involved in for thirty years," said Mr Slattery.

"One of the secrets of being a good leader is to surround yourself with good people.

"I've been fortunate that I've had a fantastic team of people throughout my police service and fantastic people across all the agencies in Cumbria who came together when the county needed them.

"From local policing in Keswick, through to leading major investigations and leading the multi-agency response, I've had a fantastically varied and rewarding career and at the heart of it I've always gone back to the ethos of why I wanted to go into policing, I wanted to help people.

"Throughout my career I've always tried to help people the best way I can.

"I'm enormously flattered to receive this award and I'm extremely grateful to everyone who supported me."

Cumbria Police's Deputy Chief Constable, Mark Webster, said: “It is really good that Andy’s work has been recognised, not only for his outstanding service over 30 years but also his incredible effort in helping to save lives during the pandemic."