Bill Skelly chosen as Lincolnshire Police chief constable

Bill Skelly said he was committed to making limited resources "go as far as possible"

A new chief has been chosen for Lincolnshire's police force.

Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones put Bill Skelly forward as his preferred candidate after the post was initially re-advertised.

The job vacancy went public again after only two applicants applied, with applications invited from the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

Mr Skelly currently works as the deputy chief constable of Devon and Cornwall Police.

He will take on the Lincolnshire role from current chief constable Neil Rhodes, who is due to retire in early 2017.

Earlier, Mr Skelly was quizzed by the police and crime panel, which has now written to the crime commissioner to confirm its acceptance.

Chairman of the panel Chris Cook said the decision was "unanimous".

Mr Skelly said he was committed to making limited resources "go as far as possible" by working effectively with other emergency services and local authorities.

He added he was optimistic that changes to the way government money is allocated to police forces would benefit Lincolnshire Police.

Chief Constable Neil Rhodes is retiring in February

Mr Rhodes is stepping down after 31 years as a police officer and serving three years as Lincolnshire's chief constable.

He was suspended soon after taking up his job in 2013 by the then PCC Alan Hardwick. He was reinstated a few weeks later after winning a judicial review into his suspension.