PSNI: Chris Todd appointed temporary deputy chief constable

PSNI's temporary deputy chief constable Chris Todd pictured speaking to the media after a major data breach in August

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has appointed one of its senior officers, Chris Todd, to the role of temporary deputy chief constable.

The move will be reviewed in two weeks' time.

Mr Todd joined the PSNI as an assistant chief constable from West Midlands Police last year.

The current deputy chief constable, Mark Hamilton, has been absent from his post since September, following an unplanned medical procedure.

Mr Hamilton was placed in command of the PSNI in September after Simon Byrne resigned as chief constable.

Jon Boutcher is currently interim chief constable.

Top job interviews in November

Bobby Singleton is one of two candidates for position of chief constable

He and another assistant chief constable, Bobby Singleton, will be interviewed for the top job on November 6.

A five-person panel from the Policing Board will conduct the interviews.

The job pays £220,000 per annum on an initial contract of five years.

• Two applicants shortlisted for PSNI top job

• Jon Boutcher formally appointed interim PSNI chief

The previous chief constable, Simon Byrne, quit in the wake of a number of controversies.

These included a court ruling that determined that two junior police officers had been unlawfully disciplined after making an arrest at a Troubles commemoration event in Belfast.

Weeks earlier, the force had mistakenly shared the identities of its entire workforce online in what was described by senior officers as a "major data breach".