Suffolk Police Authority has appointed a new temporary assistant chief constable.

Tim Newcomb has joined the county's chief officer team on a temporary basis from Essex Police, where he is serving as a chief superintendent.

His secondment will begin on June 4 when he replaces Paul Marshall, who is being promoted to temporary deputy chief constable when Gary Kitching retires next month.

Police Authority chairman Joanna Spicer said: 'I am delighted to welcome Tim to Suffolk Constabulary.

'Tim brings with him a wealth of experience and will be a tremendous support at this time of many challenges.

She added: 'Tim knows the county well. He grew up and went to school in Sudbury and lives in the county, so I'm sure he will settle in very quickly.'

Chief constable Simon Ash said: 'I look forward to welcoming Tim to our team as we focus upon delivering a high quality service to the people of Suffolk whilst at the same time making the necessary cuts to our budget.

'These are challenging times for policing and Tim brings a breadth of experience to play his part in helping us keep Suffolk safe.'