GLOUCESTERSHIRE police have appointed a new Deputy Chief Constable for the force.

Following hot on the heels of the appointment of the new Chief Constable Tony Melville last week, Mick Matthews has accepted the job of his deputy.

He has been assistant chief constable for operations in the county since 2005 and had been occupying the role of Deputy Chief Constable on a temporary basis since the departure of Mark Polin in November. He will now continue in that role permanently, with immediate effect.

Mr Matthews said: "I am delighted to be appointed as the next Deputy Chief Constable for Gloucestershire and am most grateful for the confidence the Police Authority have shown in me with this selection.

"I am particularly keen to be working with the new Chief Constable to deliver policing services to the county, keeping our communities safe from harm and inspiring local confidence in the constabulary."

Mr Matthews, 49, joined the police service in Kent in 1982 after training to be an automobile electrician working for a Rolls-Royce dealership in Canterbury, Kent.

After working as a bobby on the beat he went to the Force Training School as a law instructor. He was promoted to sergeant in 1989, then to inspector and then to Chief Inspector at Swale in 1996.

In the same year he completed a masters degree in criminal justice studies. In 1999 he was seconded to South Australia Police, working as commander in Adelaide city centre responsible for developing an intelligence-led policing model for the Australian force.

On his return he was sent to the Police Leadership and Powers Unit of the Home Office in London and in 2004 attended the Strategic Command Course, spending time in the USA examining the response to the devastating events of September 11.

Gloucestershire’s new Chief Constable, Tony Melville, said: "Mick Matthews has a wealth of experience which I know will be invaluable as Gloucestershire Constabulary moves forward.

"I am very much looking forward to working with him, keeping the public of Gloucestershire safe from harm and inspiring their confidence in us – their local police."