baroness Angela Harris of Richmond, chair of the North Yorkshire Police Authority, is to step down after a "rollercoaster" six years in the post, the Evening Press has learned.

The news that she will not be seeking re-election was broken to colleagues at a recent confidential meeting, and Baroness Harris will vacate the position in May.

She will be turning her energies to the House of Lords, where she is to chair a select sub-committee.

Baroness Harris, who has chaired the authority 1994, was at the helm when the force was rocked by the Libby Ashurst sexual harassment scandal and during the complex boundary and structure review, and her chairmanship has seen a substantial drop in crime in the county

She said: "The job of chairman is a very important one and one that requires me to be in North Yorkshire as much as possible.

"Because I have now gone to the House of Lords and spend a lot of time in London, I felt I wasn't doing justice to the role.

"It has been a rollercoaster but I have been very proud to be chairman, and it has been something I will always remember with deep gratitude to colleagues who asked me to carry on year after year."

Chief Constable David Kenworthy said Baroness Harris had been a tremendous supporter of the police in her 20 years on the police authority.

He said: "Since I have been chief constable I have valued her wise counsel, experience and support during what has been a period of enormous change in North Yorkshire police."

Mr Kenworthy added: "I'm sorry to see her stand down as chairman, but I hope she will continue as a member of the authority."

A spokesman for the North Yorkshire branch of the Police Federation said: "We have had our ups and downs but we wish her well in her retirement."

david.wiles@ycp.co.uk