A former senior PSNI detective has been suspended from her role as Assistant Chief Constable at Cheshire Police with immediate effect following an investigation into what they described as “historic matters.”
Una Kelly (formerly Jennings) was suspended from her role within the force on Thursday following an ongoing independent investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IPOC).
A spokesperson for Cheshire Police said: “This investigation relates to historic matters and does not involve Cheshire Constabulary in any way.”
A police officer for over 20 years, Ms Kelly, who was born in a convent in Co Armagh, began her career within the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
She joined the PSNI having graduated with a Master’s in Criminology from Cambridge University following a degree at Queen’s University in 2000 where she studied law.
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Ms Kelly was one of the first Catholics to join the PSNI following its creation in 2001 and attended Thornhill College in Londonderry.
She later worked her way up to Detective Chief Inspector of the Serious Crimes Unit where she was tasked with investigating the murder of fellow police officer Ronan Kerr, who was killed after a bomb was placed under his car near his home in Omagh in 2011.
She left the PSNI to join South Yorkshire Police in 2017 where she became District Commander for Rotherham and received an award recognising her leadership from Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, who presented her with an Athena Leadership honour as part of their International Women’s Day celebrations in 2020.
During her time at South Yorkshire, she was one of only two PIP 4 qualified senior investigating officers – a role held by a small cadre of officers nationally, for use in serial, serious and complex homicides.
In a profile of her by Queen’s University in 2020, she said she was inspired by the Patten Reforms to join the PSNI.
“I was there during a hugely significant time in Northern Ireland’s history, with our peace accord and the changes to policing sparked by the Patten Reforms. I wanted to be part of that change and I felt a real sense of responsibility – that’s why I joined the police,” she said.
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