A former Police constable who began his career on the streets of the county is set to be appointed as the new Chief Constable of Dyfed-Powys Police.

Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn’s said he hoped the appointment of Richard Lewis would bring "vision, determination and resilience" to the role, and his decision will now be considered by the Police and Crime Panel in a confirmation hearing to be held on July 30.

Richard Lewis is currently the Chief Constable of Cleveland Police.

"Richard performed very well throughout the whole assessment process and demonstrated great leadership skills. His vast experience and understanding of policing as well as his knowledge of the Dyfed-Powys area puts him in a good place to support the priorities in my Police and Crime Plan," he said.

"As a visionary Chief Constable, Richard will build on the excellent work undertaken by his predecessor, Mark Collins who retired earlier this year, to continuously improve the quality of our service, protecting our communities and meeting public expectations.

"He has a fantastic track record of fighting crime and managing community policing and I very much look forward to working with him to keep our communities safe and to develop a Force that serves for today and is fit for the future."

Originally from Carmarthenshire, his career in the police service started in 2000 as a police constable in Dyfed Powys.

Richard has worked in a variety of roles in uniform and CID during his 18 years in Dyfed Powys Police. He served in every rank up to (and including) Deputy Chief Constable at Dyfed Powys Police, working in all four counties in the Dyfed Powys area.

Richard has also been the Head of the Professional Standards Department and chaired the Wales Counter Corruption Working Group.

Richard is currently the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for Ethics and chairs the National Ethics Committee and has recently completed his PhD with Bath University.

Richard paid tribute to his colleagues in the North-East of England and said he was looking forward to taking up an opportunity with his "home force."

"The staff at Cleveland are amongst the best I have worked with nationally and I thank them for their continued hard work and the support they have shown for me since my arrival in early 2019," he said.

"The opportunity to return home and lead my home force is one that I could not afford to miss. I promise to give my all in my remaining months at Cleveland and to the communities of Dyfed-Powys for the remainder of my service.

"My thanks go to PCC Steve Turner of Cleveland who has been immensely supportive and to PCC Dafydd Llywelyn for the faith he has placed in me."