A POLICE expert on security has been appointed a deputy chief constable.

Ron Hogg, 52, who has been in charge of security at Tony Blair's Sedgefield constituency home, as assistant chief constable with Durham Police, has moved across the county line to the Cleveland force.

A former teacher, he is the Association of Chief Police Officers' spokesman on football matters and last year dealt with security arrangements involving England supporters at the World Cup in Japan and South Korea.

He has been with Durham Police since October 1998 and was with the Northumbria force before that. He was promoted to chief superintendent seven months before he left Northumbria.

Councillor Ken Walker, chairman of Cleveland Police Authority, said: "We are very pleased that we have been able to appoint someone with such a wide range of experience of both front line policing and the strategic issues involved in managing the rapidly changing world of modern policing.''

The authority recently appointed Sean Price to replace Barry Shaw, who retired as Britain's longest serving chief constable.