Bedfordshire Police have appointed an officer with experience across England as their new deputy chief constable.

Garry Forsyth, the deputy chief constable of Humberside Police, will join the Beds force in the coming months.

He said: “I am delighted to be appointed as deputy chief constable for Bedfordshire, and hugely excited at the challenges and opportunities ahead.

“Bedfordshire has a well-earned reputation for being a force that punches well above its weight, and this comes as no surprise to me given the commitment and drive that I have seen in all its officers and staff.

“I am looking forward to joining the team and working with the many partners, stakeholders and the public to do everything I can to ensure the force continues on its journey of improvement and goes from strength to strength.”

Chief Constable Jon Boutcher said: “Garry has a wealth of experience to bring to the role and I look forward to working with him to continue driving the force forward. I am absolutely delighted to welcome him to the force.”

Bedfordshire police and crime commissioner Kathryn Holloway added: “Garry is an experienced and highly-regarded officer and I can’t begin to express how keen I am to start working with him.”

Garry made national headlines in 2015 when he won the role of Humberside deputy chief constable – for which applicants were asked to send in a selfie along with their CV.

He was previously assistant chief constable at West Midlands Police, a senior officer within the Metropolitan Police and Leicestershire Constabulary, and chief inspector of operations with Northamptonshire Police – where he started on the beat back in 1994.