Sir Leslie Sharp, former chief constable of Cumbria, has died, at the age of 85.
He was chief constable of the county between 1988 and 1991, living with his wife and daughter in Stainton.
He had many happy memories of his time there, embracing all that life in the county offered, and truly valued the friendships that he made, in spite of having spent most of his life in cities.
He joined the Metropolitan Police in 1956, during which time he completed a law degree, and moved to West Midlands Police in 1980 as assistant and then deputy chief constable. He was awarded the Queens’ Police Medal in 1986, and took the job of chief constable of Cumbria police in 1988.
He left for Glasgow in 1991 to become chief constable of Strathclyde and retired in 1995. He was knighted in the New Year’s Honours list in 1996.
A move back down south with his wife Audrey followed.
He is survived by his wife, three daughters, nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
Sir Leslie died on January 18 after a cancer diagnosis and will be much missed by all those who knew him.
