Derbyshire’s Chief Constable announces decision to retire from her role.
Derbyshire’s Chief Constable has today announced her decision to retire from her role.
Rachel Swann, who has been Chief Constable overseeing policing in Derbyshire since August 2020, will leave the force on 10 May 2026.
Speaking of her decision, she said: “Policing has been such a huge part of my life for over 30 years, and serving the communities of Derbyshire has been the greatest privilege of my career.
“I have had the fortune of working across the East Midlands, starting out and rising through the ranks at Leicestershire Police, then serving as Assistant Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable in Northamptonshire, before moving to Derbyshire in 2019, where I led the multi-agency response to the Toddbrook Reservoir collapse at Whaley Bridge, one of the largest emergency evacuations in peacetime across the United Kingdom.
“In 2020, I became the first female to hold the position of Chief Constable at Derbyshire, an extremely proud moment.
“I have always sought for us to put victims at the heart of everything we do, and to provide a consistently good service to the public. Working with our partners to address serious and organised crime, safeguard the most vulnerable, support neighbourhoods, or respond to major incidents, together we have achieved a lot to be proud of.
“The officers, staff and volunteers serving the communities of Derbyshire do their best to improve the lives of those we serve, running towards danger and responding in extremely challenging circumstances.
“Whatever they face, Derbyshire’s strength has always come from its people. The bravery, the dedication, the commitment to help others – policing really is a job like no other.
“As I look ahead to the next chapter, I am proud of all that we have achieved together, and I am confident that these strong foundations will provide a solid platform for the future, to help Derbyshire communities to flourish and to keep people safe and. It has been an absolute privilege.”
During her time as Derbyshire Police’s Deputy Chief Constable, Rachel Swann led the evacuation of 1,600 residents from Whaley Bridge after concerns were raised about the stability of Toddbrook Reservoir. As part of the emergency response, she briefed the Cabinet at daily COBRA meetings — the government’s crisis committee convened during national emergencies.
We reported on the extraordinary circumstances in full in our September 2020 feature on the Whaley Bridge evacuation.
