Northern Ireland's most senior female police officer is to forfeit a lump sum retirement payment of more than £500,000 in order to stay in her job.
PSNI Deputy Chief Constable Judith Gillespie is entitled to retire under a redundancy scheme which closes in eight weeks' time.
As part of the reforms introduced to encourage more Catholics to join the police service, Ms Gillespie would qualify for a lump sum if she retired by March.
PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott had asked the policing board to change the rules to allow her remain in the post for a further three years with no financial penalty.
The Board refused the request.
The daughter of a Protestant minister, Judith Gillespie received an OBE in June 2009.
She is married with two daughters. She joined what was the RUC in 1982 and steadily rose through the ranks.
During her training she received the Baton of Honour Award. She has a Masters in Applied Criminology from Cambridge University and has been the PSNI's Deputy Chief Constable since June 2009.
