THE new figurehead of a county police authority is to spread the good news about the force's performance.

Anne Wright has been appointed chairman of Durham Police Authority, swapping places with veteran county councillor Joe Knox.

Coun Wright had been vice-chairman for two years, but the roles were reversed at the authority's annual meeting.

A county councillor for Sacriston, near Durham City, for the past ten years, she said: "I regard it as a privilege and an honour to be chairman of the police authority.

"I know it means a lot of hard work, but the last two years have been a bit of a learning curve for me as vice-chairman, and I would like to particularly thank Joe for his help."

She also thanked Chief Constable Paul Garvin for his support, saying: "I hope to build on the good relations which already exist with the Chief Constable and the force in general."

Coun Wright, who is married, said she was lucky to be taking over a force that had earned good reviews in its most recent reports from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMI).

She pledged that as part of her role as the new chairman, she would let people know just how well the force was performing.

"The reports have been so good that HMI have said there is no need for a full inspection this year, and the only thing we are not good enough at is singing our own praises.

"Not enough people know what a good job we are doing, so I'll be singing the good message," she said.

Coun Knox, the county member for Chester-le-Street Central for the past 22 years and police authority chairman for the past four, said the force had come a long way since he began his first stint as vice-chairman in 1995.