Suffolk police has appointed Gareth Wilson as its new Deputy Chief Constable.

Mr Wilson was selected today by a panel including Chief Constable Douglas Paxton, Police and Crime Commissioner Tim Passmore and Suffolk County Council chief executive Deborah Cadman.

Mr Wilson will succeed Deputy Chief Constable Paul Marshall, who retires in July.

He began his policing career with Essex Police in 1989 – and since then has worked in a mix of both CID and uniformed roles.

He was promoted to superintendent in 2002, when he took on the role of senior investigating officer and led investigations into almost 100 serious crime incidents in Essex.

In 2008, he was promoted to Chief Superintendent, with responsibility for Essex Police's uniformed specialist operations before, two years later, taking on the role of running the Kent and Essex Serious Crime Directorate.

In 2012, he was moved on promotion to Norfolk police as the Assistant Chief Constable responsible for local policing.

Speaking after his new appointment, Mr Wilson said: 'I am extremely proud to become the Deputy Chief Constable of Suffolk Constabulary.

'Suffolk is a high performing force with a proud track record of keeping people safe and I am delighted to be joining its Chief Officer team.

'There are significant challenges ahead but I am looking forward to working closely with chief officer colleagues, the Police and Crime Commissioner and officers and staff in shaping the organisation for the future, so that it can continue to provide a quality policing service to local people.'

Mr Paxton said: 'I am delighted to welcome Gareth to the team.

'He brings a wealth of policing experience and impressed the panel with his knowledge, commitment and passion for making our community safe. I look forward to working with him in his new role.'

Mr Passmore said: 'I am very pleased to welcome Gareth as the next Deputy Chief Constable for Suffolk.

'Gareth was a strong candidate and impressed us with his sound knowledge of the county and all its different communities and businesses. His valuable experience of partnership working will be particularly important as we work more closely with partners to deliver our Police and Crime Plan and get the very best value for the council tax payer in Suffolk.

'As a Norfolk officer, Gareth has worked closely with the Constabulary in his role as joint Assistant Chief Constable so we are confident that his knowledge and experience will enable him to pick up his new role very successfully.'