Staffordshire Police has a new chief constable at the helm after Michael Cunningham was named as the man in charge.

He is the replacement for Chris Sims in the Staffordshire Police Authority, and will take up his role on a date yet to be agreed.

Mr Cunningham, who is married with two children, is currently Deputy Chief Constable of the Lancashire force.

He said: “I am delighted to be appointed as Chief Constable of Staffordshire. I passionately believe in the mission that Staffordshire Police and the authority have set, and I’m committed to its continuation and development.

“The force has a wide reputation as being one of the best performing and putting the people of Staffordshire at the heart of its policing.

“Trust and confidence between police, partners and communities is the foundation upon which effective policing is built and in turn, effective policing builds trust and confidence.

“I look forward to maintaining the force’s high performance and its citizen focus.”

Mr Cunningham, aged 48, graduated with a degree in theology from the University of Durham and became a teacher in 1985.

His police career began when he joined Lancashire Constabulary in 1987. He became Blackpool’s divisional commander in 2002.

Having successfully completed the strategic command course at Bramshill Police College in November 2005, he returned to Lancashire as Acting Assistant Chief Constable.

Mr Cunningham was subsequently appointed as Assistant Chief Constable taking responsibility for specialist operational policing across Lancashire. He was appointed Deputy Chief Constable in August 2007.

He has a wide range of experience in operational policing being responsible for six territorial divisions and developing neighbourhood policing in Lancashire.

His portfolio also includes specialist operations with the investigation of serious and organised crime and counter-terrorism.

In addition to his current role, Mr Cunningham is the Association of Chief Police Officers’ lead for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans-sexual portfolios. He is also chairman of the ACPO counter corruption advisory group.

He enjoys all types of sport and lives in Fylde in Lancashire.

Chairman of Staffordshire Police Authority David Pearsall said: “We are pleased to welcome Michael Cunningham as our new Chief Constable.

“He introduced neighbourhood policing in Lancashire and is geared towards raising further the trust and confidence in our force.

“His strength and ability will be of enormous benefit to the safety of the people of Staffordshire.”

Mr Sims became Chief Constable of the West Midlands on June 1 after 20 months in charge of Staffordshire Police.