ASSISTANT chief constable Stephen Martin has been chosen as a temporary replacement for departing PSNI deputy chief constable Drew Harris.
The senior officer will take up his new role on August 11 after Mr Harris leaves the PSNI to become Garda commissioner.
The Policing Board normally appoints senior officers to the PSNI.
However, it has not been formally constituted since Stormont collapsed last year.
A PSNI spokesman said Mr Martin was appointed following consultation with the chair of the Policing Board.
Mr Martin will hold the post until the board is constituted again.
It is understood Secretary of State Karen Bradley will bring forward legislation in the autumn to formally re-establish the board.
Mr Martin was recently handed an OBE. He already holds a Queen’s Police Medal.
Chief Constable George Hamilton said: “Stephen Martin’s policing experience and commitment to keeping people safe in all our communities gives me confidence in making this appointment until such times as the Policing Board is reconstituted and can select and appoint a Deputy Chief Constable on a substantive basis".
