Chief Constable Wallis commanded the largest geographical police area in England, extending 180 miles from the Dorset and Somerset borders in the east to the Isles of Scilly in the west.
Prior to her service with Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, Wallis served with the Metropolitan Police Service for 18 years undertaking various roles including working at the Community Relations Policy Unit at New Scotland Yard as a Chief Inspector, with responsibility for developing policies on Domestic Violence[2] and Racial Attacks, as well as working as a Detective Superintendent in South East London.
[4] As Chief Constable of the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary, Wallis presided over the fourth largest reduction in crime out of all the police force areas of the UK in 2005–2006.
Attempts at controlling overtime costs and the implementing labour study recommendations brought undue criticism on Chief Constable Wallis.
There came a point where, for all our sakes, change was necessary and desirable.” [citation needed] On the day of her retirement, Association of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales & Northern Ireland (ACPO) President Ken Jones said: “I would like to express my heartfelt thanks and support to Maria Wallis who has dedicated many years to the police service and has been outstanding in her contribution to the national work of ACPO as well as to the forces in which she has served.