Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Iain Livingstone is set to retire after five years in the role.
Sir Iain will stand down from his role in the force in the summer, despite being contracted until 2025.
The 56-year-old set out his intention to leave the Office of Chief Constable during a meeting of the Scottish Police Authority Board in Glasgow today.
Sir Iain, who was knighted in January during a ceremony at the Palace of Holyrood house, said: “By my last day in service, I will have been a police officer for 31 years and had the privilege of serving as Chief Constable for nearly six of those years.
“Police Scotland is an organisation with shared values and high levels of operational competence.
The service improvements achieved in our 10 years are unprecedented across the United Kingdom public sector, delivering effective policing for the public.
“We now have a full leadership team with the experience and capability to continue the progress made and can take confidence from the exceptional role Police Scotland played through Covid, COP26 and the events following the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.
“The police officers and police staff of Police Scotland are outstanding. Leading them as Chief Constable to serve the people of Scotland has been the honour of my working life.”
Sir Iain has led the single national Service for six years, as interim Chief from 2017 before being formally appointed as Chief Constable in 2018.
UNISON police staff branch secretary Michelle Brewster said: “It is not a surprise that Police Scotland’s chief constable Sir Iain Livingstone is retiring earlier than expected. Police services are facing unsustainable Scottish government cuts, which will set policing back years.
"I found Sir Iain Livingstone to be honest and genuine and he understood the vital role of police staff in fighting crime and keeping our communities safe.
"I would like to wish him all the best in his retirement and thank him for fostering a strong relationship with UNISON.
"We didn’t always agree but he was determined that we should all work for the good of the communities we serve. We expect the new police chief to follow in his footsteps and to sit down with a new First Minister to set policing on to a more positive way forward.”
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