South Yorkshire’s deputy chief constable Tim Forber looks set to take over as the new head of North Yorkshire Police.

Mr Forber has been named as the ‘preferred candidate’ for the role of North Yorkshire chief constable by the region’s police, fire and crime commissioner Zoe Metcalfe.

His appointment is expected to be ratified by the North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel on January 11.

If confirmed in the post Mr Forber, who joined South Yorkshire Police as Assistant Chief Constable in December 2016 and was promoted to Deputy Chief Constable in June 2021, will take over from Lisa Winward, who has announced that she will be retiring on March 31.

Ms Metcalfe said Mr Forber had been selected as her ‘preferred candidate’ following a ‘robust’ two day selection process on Monday and Tuesday this week.

This involved a presentation, a ‘media exercise’, and an interview by a panel made up of Commissioner Metcalfe herself, plus North Yorkshire’s chief fire officer Jonathan Dyson, a representative from HM inspector of Constabulary, and others.

Mr Forber said he was ‘hugely honoured’ to have been selected as the preferred candidate for North Yorkshire’s top cop.

“I am looking forward to working tirelessly on behalf of the communities of York and North Yorkshire to ensure they have an outstanding police service,” he said.

Ms Metcalfe said: “I am delighted to name Tim Forber as my preferred candidate for York and North Yorkshire’s new Chief Constable.

“His depth of experience and commitment to collaboration and local neighbourhood policing across rural and urban areas was clear from the interview process and I am delighted to be able to put him forward to the Police, Fire and Crime Panel.

“I have every confidence he has the right qualities to drive forward North Yorkshire Police to be an outstanding service and to keep people safe and feeling safe.”

Outgoing chief constable Lisa Winward announced in September that she would be retiring on March 31 next year.

She began her police career as a volunteer special constable in York.

After rising through the ranks to become a chief inspector with Humberside police, she returned to York as a chief inspector in 2008. She was promoted to superintendent with North Yorkshire Police in 2009.

By 2016 she was the assistant chief constable leading the force’s local policing portfolio. She became deputy chief constable in February 2017 and was confirmed as chief constable in August 2018.

Announcing her impending retirement in September she said it had been an ‘absolute privilege’ to head the force for the last five years.

“It was a very difficult decision to make but I feel that the time is right for me to retire,” she said.