THE chief constable of Greater Manchester Police has had his contract extended for another three years.

Police commissioner Tony Lloyd said Ch Con Peter Fahy had made a valuable contribution to policing in the region and was keen to work with him further in the coming years to "drive forward the community safety agenda".

He said: “When Peter became chief constable in 2008, Greater Manchester Police had been through a very difficult time, and soon afterwards the unprecedented, swingeing budget cuts were announced by central government.

“It’s to Peter’s credit that he has shown strong and decisive leadership to help steer our police service through these challenges.

"Despite the enormous scale of the cuts, Peter has achieved significant improvements. Under his tenure crime has reduced and confidence has grown.

“I am very pleased he has agreed to remain as chief constable for the next three years to drive forward the community safety agenda and protect both the public and our police service.”

Mr Fahy added: “It is a huge privilege to serve the people of Greater Manchester and to work in such a challenging, dynamic place and it is an honour to lead the great team of people I have in GMP.

“There have been a number of very dark days as chief of GMP but also many achievements as we try to do our best to protect local people and cope with the difficult budget situation.

"I am grateful to Tony Lloyd for showing confidence in me and I would not have accepted this extension if I did not think we could work together to make policing even better."

His contract is due to end on August 31. It has been extended by the maximum period allowed – three years – until August 2016.