A CLERGYMAN who has provided religious counselling to police officers for the past 15 years is to be appointed to a senior church posting in his diocese.

The Bishop of Durham has announced that the Rev John Scorer, 57, will be one of Durham Cathedral's 24 non-residentiary canons.

As part of a posting to be priest-in-charge of Croxdale, near Durham, in 1989, the Washington-born cleric took on the added responsibility of ministering part-time to Durham Police's 2,000-strong workforce.

He became the force's first full-time chaplain, one of only four such posts in the country, in 1993, and has since been pivotal in developing the role within Durham and across the North-East's seven forces.

For the last 14 years he has been a member of a national police chaplaincy group.

He said: "During my time in the post it has gone from something that was seen as an honorary ceremonial appointment into something that is now very hands-on and involved in the issues of day-to-day policing.

"My appointment as an honorary canon acknowledges the part I've played."

Chief Constable Paul Garvin said: "John has been responsible for a tremendous amount of highly valued work behind the scenes, providing support to individual members of the Durham workforce as well as many hundreds of officers from around the country."

Mr Scorer will be installed non-residentiary canon at a special ceremony on May 9.