AT a time when some of the region’s other chief constables were letting down the people they were paid to serve, we had a lot of respect for Jon Stoddart, who retired as Durham’s most senior police officer last week.

He did a first-class job and the county’s crime figures headed in the right direction under his leadership.

His successor – at least temporarily – is Mike Barton and we welcome him to the hot seat.

Mr Barton is already making quite a name for himself, nationally as well as regionally, because of his uncompromising approach to criminals.

He dislikes them with a passion and wants them to know he intends to hound them.

It is, of course, very early days but we like Mr Barton’s style and his “Al Capone approach” to fighting crime will strike a chord with members of the public.

His philosophy is straightforward: if there is not enough evidence to prosecute “bad people” for major crimes, they will be pursued for lesser offences. They will be left in no doubt that they are in the police’s sights.

Mr Barton is Chief Constable for an initial three months, pending the election of County Durham and Darlington’s first Police and Crime Commissioner.

We wish him well and sincerely hope that those who make other people’s lives a misery through criminal activities are sleeping a little less comfortably in their beds.