Wallis joined the Metropolitan Police as a constable in 1976 after graduating from Bristol University with a degree in Social Administration and Sociology. 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 and Racial Attacks, as well as working as a Detective Superintendent in South East London. She became the Deputy Chief Constable of Sussex where Wallis was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in January 2002. At the time Wallis was short-listed to head the Police Service of Northern Ireland in her native Northern Ireland, but withdrew following her promotion to Devon & Cornwall. 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. Mass protest arose from the attempt to implement recommendations of a position regrading study. The evaluation was a re-grading exercise which was meant to ensure fair pay for all, but meant some faced pay cuts of up to £8,000< causing hundreds to protest.
Retirement
Chief Constable Wallis retired in July 2006. In announcing her retirement, Wallis added that the last two months had also been very challenging personally as well as professionally because her mother had died the previous month and her father subsequently was unwell. She said she had always put the needs of the force first and was "enormously proud of the achievements of our staff, in particular the recent excellent performance". However her police authority had urged her to "consider her position". David Money, the authority chairman, said: “There has been damage to the confidence of the staff, damage to the confidence of the police officers and damage to the community. We need to move forward to restore confidence. There came a point where, for all our sakes, change was necessary and desirable.” On the day of her retirement, Association of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales & Northern Ireland 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. It is the job of a chief constable to raise performance and drive down crime, both of which have been achieved under the leadership of Maria. Nationally, Maria, on behalf of all chief constables, has spearheaded key criminal justice reforms and led the service through the development of Local Criminal Justice Boards. She has helped improve services for victims and witnesses and seen through significant changes to the charging regime. Her departure is a great loss to the service and she will be very much missed”.
Controversy
There was a growing amount of resentment against Wallis when she decided to cut the pay of civilian staff. Hundreds of them walked out in 2005. Senior detectives also had problems with her. In her defence supporters said that this problem with the senior staff came about because of their old-fashioned-ness and her modern methods clashing with their ways. Also they had resented a woman in this position.
