A LONG-SERVING senior officer for North Yorkshire Police has taken up a job with a neighbouring force.

Assistant chief constable Iain Spittal has been appointed deputy chief constable of Cleveland Police.

He will take on the role at the end of June after beating a field of five candidates for the role, the force said. Mr Spittal, who joined North Yorkshire Police in 1986, said: “I am very much looking forward to joining Cleveland Police, bringing my own experiences to work with officers and staff who are committed to further reducing crime and antisocial behaviour.”

Mr Spittal was initially a constable on the beat in Ryedale. In 1994 he was promoted to the rank of sergeant, and in April 2000 he was promoted to the rank of Inspector and transferred to take over the role of local area commander at Whitby.

In 2003, Mr Spittal was promoted to the rank of superintendent and took on a new role as the head of public access. Following twelve months as operational commander in the eastern area of North Yorkshire he was promoted to the rank of chief superintendent, taking over as the area commander for the City of York and Selby District in 2005.

He was promoted to acting assistant chief constable in August 2011 and assistant chief constable with responsibilities for Safer Neighbourhood delivery across North Yorkshire and the City of York in 2012.