ONE of the region's most senior police officers has stunned colleagues with the announcement that he is to retire.

Paul Garvin, Chief Constable of Durham Constabulary, will announce today that he is quitting his post at the end of the year.

The 56-year-old, who has held the £100,000-a-year post for less than three years, says he wants to hand over to a successor ahead of far-reaching changes to the way the police service is run, which will come into force next year.

Mr Garvin is believed to have briefed senior officers of his decision on Wednesday, ahead of today's official announcement.

The Gateshead-born chief constable, who succeeded George Hedges in September 2002, said: "My decision to retire creates a window of opportunity for what will, hopefully, be a seamless change as I hand on to my successor.

"It is important for the people of County Durham and Darlington that a new chief constable is in place to meet national challenges expected next April and May."

He added: "This force has a hard-earned reputation for being one of the best run in the country and I want to make sure that success continues and we stay at the forefront of policing.

"The timing of my departure will be both right for the organisation and right for me."

After being initially turned down by Durham Constabulary, Mr Garvin joined what was to become Cleveland Police in 1968.

He rose quickly through the ranks to become head of Hartlepool CID from 1992 to 1994.

He then became Assistant Chief Constable for West Yorkshire, before joining Durham Constabulary as Deputy Chief Constable in March 2000.

During his period in the top job, Mr Garvin has presided over significant falls in recorded crime, including a three per cent drop in the past year, which was achieved in part through the StreetSafe programme.

His success led to County Durham and Darlington being named earlier this year as one of the safest places to live in the country, despite ongoing problems over the fear of crime.

But he has also courted controversy, putting him on a collision course with the Government - not least in his insistence earlier this year that the force was being "short-changed" by Government rules that moved resources to urban forces.

He has also steadfastly questioned the use of fixed cameras to trap speeding motorists, which has left County Durham one of the few counties in Britain not to have fixed cameras.

Mr Garvin will retire in December.