A senior Norfolk police officer announced her retirement from the force on Twitter, saying that she felt her “values no longer fit”.
Asst Ch Con Sarah Hamlin, 48, announcing her departure after 30 years’ service, told her 3,600 Twitter followers she was “resigned to the fact that my values no longer fit the org. I can’t make a difference, support front-line.”
Hamlin was appointed in June 2014 as the collaborative lead for protective services in Norfolk and Suffolk, overseeing the delivery of serious and organised crime, intelligence, major investigation, forensics and specialist operations along with with criminal justice and heading the force’s security operation for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at their home on the Queen’s Sandringham estate.
She later tweeted: “And so I wish colleagues & friends all the best. Let’s hope policing can recover & the officers & staff welfare is prioritised.”
“To clarify I am retiring! Looking forward to spending time with family and friends. Playing golf and kayaking.”
She did not immediately respond to requests to clarify her comments in her tweets.
In a statement released through the Norfolk constabulary, Hamlin said: “I’ve had a fantastic career and thoroughly enjoyed my 30 years with Norfolk constabulary and latterly in also working with the Suffolk constabulary. I have many fond memories and without doubt these are the best forces I could have wished to work with. I consider though that now is the right time for me to retire to spend more time with family and friends as I look to pursue my other dreams.”
The Norfolk force has been forced to make a series of cuts in the last five years to trim its budget by £25m. One recent money-saving initiative has been to run some services jointly with neighbouring Suffolk police.
Hamlin, a mother-of-two, joined the police in 1986 and served in uniform, and then as a detective, reaching the rank of chief inspector before being promoted to assistant chief constable in June 2014.
She was praised in 2001 for starting up the SOS Bus Project, a multi-agency initiative to assist young people needing help in Norwich’s clubland.
In a blog earlier this year, Hamlin wrote of the challenges of the job. “A lot has been written about the culture of policing. However, I believe the value of my contributions has been about continuing to stand by my personal values and beliefs. My tough “downhill ski” moments have been when I have been asked to work contrary to my personal beliefs. But when I’ve challenged views I feel less stressed. Even if other don’t agree, I can at least say that I discharged my personal responsibility by pointing out the alternative view.”
The chief constables of both Norfolk and Suffolk police paid tribute to the “significant contributions” Hamlin had made across many different areas during her career.
