Greater Manchester Police appoint new Chief Constable

Reporter: Jan Harwood
Date online: 24/07/2008

Greater Manchester Police Authority appointed a new Chief Constable to the Greater Manchester Police Force yesterday evening (Wednesday 23 July).

Peter Fahy, from Cheshire Constabulary, will take up the post no later than 1 November this year. Mr Fahy takes over from the late Michael Todd, who died while out walking in Snowdonia in March this year.

Mr Fahy was judged the best candidate to meet the needs and challenges of one of the largest police forces in the country. The Police Authority said they received an extremely strong field of applications to the post.

Since Michael Todd's death the force has been led by David Whatton. A spokesperson for the Police Authority thanked Mr Whatton for his efforts, saying: "He has helped ensure Mr Todd’s legacy of making Greater Manchester a safer place has lived on and has been both publicly and privately thanked for his excellent leadership during challenging times."

Rochdale's MP Paul Rowen welcomed Mr Fahy's appointment, saying: "Peter Fahy has a reputation as a straight talker and this will go down very well in places like Rochdale. I look forward to meeting him as soon as he takes office and will be putting to him our priorities in Rochdale. His appointment is good news for the law-abiding majority and is very much welcomed.”