Hampshire's Chief Constable To Leave

A chief constable will take charge of the Government's new College of Policing, Home Secretary Theresa May has announced.

Hampshire's top officer Alex Marshall will leave the force early next year to take up the post.

Ministers say the College of Policing will improve standards and professionalism among officers.

In a statement to MPs Mrs May said:

''As chief constable of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Alex has overseen four consecutive years of crime reduction, rolled out mobile data terminals to frontline officers and delivered around £40 million in savings.

''He has also maintained the numbers of police officers and police staff in visible local policing roles across Hampshire.

"Alex has also played a pivotal role in the formation of the National Police Air Service which became operational earlier this month.''

Mr Marshall, who will be paid between £160,000 and £180,000 in his new job, said:

''From day one in my new role I will work to equip all who work in policing with the tools, skills and knowledge they need to succeed.

''This appointment is a fantastic opportunity to replace bureaucracy and unnecessary policies in policing with practical, common sense approaches based on the evidence of what works.''

The college will become operational in December, Mrs May said.