AN OFFICER who spearheaded the police response to some of the worst region's disasters has been promoted to the rank of deputy chief constable.
Gary Barnett was this morning revealed as the new deputy chief of Durham Constabulary, four years after joining the force following 25 years with North Yorkshire Police.
For the last 19 months, the 53-year-old has served as deputy chief constable in a temporary role, but was today confirmed in the post by Durham Police Authority.
The father-of-two began his police career as a beat bobby in Harrogate. He went on to play a leading role in the police response to the Dunkeswick air crash in 1995, which claimed 12 lives, and was chief superintendent at the time of the York floods in 2000 and the following year's Great Heck train crash, in which ten people died.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article