THE Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police will return to the force next week.

Dave Jones has been acting as Chief Constable for South Yorkshire Police since May 3 until a permanent replacement for the former leader could be found, and will return to North Yorkshire on Monday.

Mr Jones said recent months had been "bruising" for officers in South Yorkshire, but he had been "extremely impressed by everyone’s desire to improve".

He said South Yorkshire Police was "full of people that care, who want to do a good job and who want to catch criminals and make their communities safer places to live and work".

He said: "With that level of enthusiasm, I am confident that South Yorkshire Police can become a police service that we can all become proud of.

"As police leaders we need to make sure we give those officers and staff the opportunity to show their skill and enthusiasm every day - that is the task facing the new chief when he arrives. It may be a long road ahead but my hope is that I have laid a strong foundation on which he can build."

York Press:

Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan and Chief Constable Dave Jones.

Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan said Acting Chief Constable Tim Madgwick will return to his role as Deputy Chief Constable, and welcomed Mr Jones' return.

She said: "It’s good to have Chief Constable Dave Jones back in North Yorkshire and I look forward to moving our plans forward over the coming months and years. I’d also like to thank the team here for doing such a good job in the interim.

"It’s also rare for a Chief Constable to spend time leading another force in the way Dave Jones has and he will be bringing the benefit of that experience back to North Yorkshire with him. I am sure he will put that to good use in moving forward our vision for North Yorkshire."

Deputy Chief Constable Stephen Watson of Durham Constabulary will formally become Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police in November, and Dr Alan Billings, Police and Crime Commissioner for South Yorkshire, praised Mr Jones for his work with the force in recent months.

That work has included overseeing a peer review, with 22 experts assessing the force and speaking to officers and staff to create "an honest and frank" review of the force.

He said: "I would like to express my sincere thanks to Interim Chief Constable Dave Jones, Assistant Chief Constable Ken McKintosh and the Force’s Senior Leadership Group who have done a considerable amount of work to stabilise the force."