The next chief constable of Sussex will be Giles York subject to a confirmation hearing in three weeks’ time.
Mr York, 47, was deputy chief constable to Martin Richards before Mr Richards retired from the top job earlier this year.
The announcement of the temporary chief constable as the preferred candidate to lead Sussex Police came after a recruitment process that started in April.
Mr York became temporary chief constable in March, having been deputy chief constable since 2008, with responsibility for performance, engagement, reputation, change and risk management.
He is a married father of three who started his career with Kent Police in 1990 where he served as the Medway area commander and head of the force’s Special Branch.
He had responsibility for policing the Channel Tunnel and the Kent ports and worked in the office of the national co-ordinator of Special Branch.
Mr York joined South Wales Police as assistant chief constable in 2005 where his portfolio included local policing and force crime and operations. He was also the lead for counter terrorism for Wales and serious and organised crime.
Three years later Mr York became deputy chief constable of Sussex. He was the programme director for Serving Sussex 2015, the change programme to modernise the force and improve the service for the public while making savings of £50 million.
He is the force lead for diversity and is proud that Sussex Police is regularly listed in Stonewall’s top 100 employers.
Mr York is also the national police lead for the High Potential Development Scheme (HPDS), Fast Track and Direct Entry, Intellectual Property Crime and National Analysts.
He leads on Digital First, a national programme that seeks to digitise the policing contribution to the criminal justice system making it more efficient and effective.
And he chairs the Niche Development Board which is trying to enable police forces to operate from a single cloud-based platform.
Mr York said: “I am delighted to have been recommended as the next chief constable of Sussex Police.”
He added that he looked forward to ensuring “that the people of Sussex have access to the best possible policing services when they need them”.
Police and crime commissioner Katy Bourne said: “Mr York has exceptional experience of policing, having held a number of positions in senior leadership.
“Throughout the recruitment process he showed a passion for Sussex, its people and police force.
“He also demonstrated a strong commitment to developing partnership working across the county as well as engaging with residents to meet their policing needs and keep Sussex safe.”
The Police and Crime Panel is expected to hold a confirmation hearing at its meeting on Friday 27 June.
The selection board included the Mrs Bourne, former chief inspector of constabulary Sir Denis O’Connor, the director of joint warfare at the Ministry of Defence Air Vice-Marshal Robert Judson and College of Policing adviser Dianne Newton.
