William Elliott, the first civilian commissioner of the RCMP, has announced that he is stepping down.

He will leave his post in July, according to an announcement Friday afternoon.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper issued a statement thanking Elliott "for his dedication and service to the RCMP," since his appointment in 2007.

The announcement follows a difficult year for the top Mountie. Last July, word leaked out that an unspecified group of top RCMP officers had made formal complaints about the way Elliott went about his work.

They alleged he was abrasive with subordinates, often displaying abusive and bully-like behaviour towards them.

The discord inside RCMP headquarters was serious enough that former CSIS director Reid Morden was paid more than $28,000 to complete a "workplace assessment."

In August, Morden reported to Ottawa that there was a high level of tension within the senior ranks regarding the glacial pace of change in the organization.

But Don Martin, host of CTV News Channel's Power Play, described Elliott's announcement to step down as "a bit of a surprise" because the commissioner appeared to have silenced many of his critics inside the force.

"He seemed to have won. Some of the more squeaky-wheeled protesters that were making noise against him were reassigned or actually retired in some cases," Martin said from Ottawa. "No one is explaining exactly why this is happening."

Following Morden's workplace assessment, Elliott reduced the number of deputy commissioners in the top brass and he replaced Deputy Commissioner Raf Souccar, who was one of his main critics.

As recently as December, Elliott wrote that "the mood of the senior leadership of the RCMP is very positive," according to statements he provided to CTV.ca through his office.

News that Elliott will leave the Mounties came days before a scheduled appearance by Souccar and another of Elliott's top critics, former assistant commissioner Mike McDonell, before the public safety committee.

Harper said Friday the House of Commons public safety committee will be consulted regarding Elliott's replacement.

Mark Holland, the Liberal's public safety critic, said the commissioner's departure presents a chance to reform the RCMP, including by implementing stronger oversight measures.

"It's not enough to just simply install a commissioner -- they also have to make those changes," he said.

Holland also welcomed the government's decision to confer with the public safety committee prior to finding a replacement for Elliott.

"I think it's important that they consult the committee and Parliament broadly to make sure that the choice is somebody who's going to be up for the job of modernizing and revamping the RCMP, and bringing about the change that the organization needs."

With files from The Canadian Press