THE current deputy chief constable of Gloucestershire will be the county’s temporary chief constable.

Rod Hansen will assume operational control of the constabulary when the current chief Suzette Davenport retires in April.

He is the national lead for mounted policing and dogs in England and Wales and senior police advisor to the Joint Task Force Headquarters (JTFHQ) part of a multi-agency team of non-military advisors.

Temporary CC Hansen said: “It is a privilege for me to be asked to take up this important role which I accept and embrace.

“The constabulary has come a long way through a period of austerity and become stronger for it. That isn’t to say that there isn’t much more to do.

“We continue to face further significant financial challenges and I shall rely heavily on the talented people I have around me.

“Without colleagues providing a 24 hour emergency service there would be no constabulary so they deserve, and will get, my very best attention.

“It goes without saying that our primary aim is to put the public of Gloucestershire at the heart of everything we do and we shall continue to do.”

Mr. Hansen joined Gloucestershire constabulary after a long career at Avon and Somerset constabulary where he covered a variety of roles from patrol inspector in central Bristol to district commander for Bath and North East Somerset.

He has been a hostage negotiator since 1998 and for a number of years he was the South West regional co-ordinator for negotiating.

In October 2003 he trained negotiators within the Greek police service in preparation for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.

Police and Crime Commissioner Martin Surl said: “Rod Hansen has been an outstanding officer at local, regional and national levels.

“He has served Gloucestershire well as a deputy and I had no hesitation in offering him the job of temporary chief constable.”

But, Mr. Surl admitted that uncertainty over the future of the fire service had had a bearing on the length of contract being offered.

He said: “The government has made it abundantly clear its enthusiasm for reform and I am under clear instructions from the home office to examine very carefully what benefits might be achieved by combining some of the work done behind the scenes by police and fire service back-office staff.

“The home office is making money available to PCCs to carry out independent studies of their local fire services.

“What they are considering is the possibility of fundamental change involving the governance and leadership of two of the key public services.

“As I have said many times, I have an open mind. However, if the research suggests change would benefit the council tax payers of Gloucestershire, the responsibilities of the chief constable in twelve months’ time could be very different to what they are today.

“I am grateful to Rod for taking over in these circumstances, not least because it ensures continuity and stability during another period of potential uncertainty.”