Northumbria has appointed a new Deputy Chief Constable who will take up her role in October.

Jayne Meir is currently serving in West Midlands Police as Assistant Chief Constable, a rank she has held since 2019. She moved to West Midlands in 2016 initially as the policing commander for Wolverhampton following a 20 year stint at the Met.

During her time at West Midlands, she has been involved in a number of high-profile operations, including being one of the Gold Commanders for last year’s Commonwealth Games.

She will replace Deputy Chief Constable Debbie Ford who recently announced she would be retiring later this year.

Chief Constable Vanessa Jardine said: “I am delighted to announce the appointment of Jayne Meir as the new Deputy Chief Constable of Northumbria Police.

“Jayne will bring with her a wealth of operational experience and I know she will be a great addition to the Force.

“I hope you will join me in wishing her a warm welcome to our fabulous region.”

She added: “I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Deputy Chief Constable Debbie Ford for her exceptional service to Northumbria Police, the Force where she began her career.

“She will be missed and I wish her all the very best for the future.”

Assistant Chief Constable Meir said she was looking forward to taking up her new role and getting to know the area and communities.

She said: “Having spent some time in the North East earlier in the summer, I was struck by how beautiful and diverse the region is.

“I also had the opportunity to speak with a number of people from Northumbria Police and it was clear they are incredibly proud to work here and want to deliver the very best service possible.”