WILTSHIRE Police is advertising for a new chief constable to lead the force.

Applications are now open for the top position, which is for a fixed period of at least three years and offers a salary of £142,689 per year.

As well as this the cost of moving the applicant to the county could be paid by Wiltshire Police.

Kier Pritchard has been acting as temporary chief constable since March 4, the day after Sergei Skripal was poisoned with a nerve agent in Salisbury.

He has served with the force since 1993, and held the role of assistant chief constable since 2014.

He was filling the spot after the former chief, Mike Veale, left Wiltshire Police for another top job in the North East, where he is now chief constable of Cleveland Police.

Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson said it may not be essential for candidates to relocate to the county, writing in his advert for the job: "I am happy to discuss whether you would need to move to live in Wiltshire to do the job effectively."

And the job advert says the office of the police and crime commissioner (OPCC) "will meet the cost of reasonable removal and resettlement expenses incurred by the chief constable in taking up the appointment".

A housing allowance and annual car allowance (currently worth more than £9,000) are also available to the successful applicant.

Applications for the role must be submitted by October 29, with interviews set to take place at the end of November.

Officers must have held the rank of at least assistant chief constable or commander in a UK police force to be considered.

In a statement Mr Macpherson said: “As PCC I am committed to making Wiltshire an even safer place and this is a fantastic opportunity for a senior police officer who shares this ambition to join me.

“Significant pressures on the service nationally make this a challenging time to be a Chief Constable. Our chief must be someone who can turn these difficult circumstances into opportunities and take our police force to an outstanding future.

“I was very clear when Mr Pritchard was appointed temporary Chief Constable at the beginning of this year that for a permanent position there must be a fair and transparent process and we have started that today.

“Kier has done an excellent job over the past seven months and led the Force through two international incidents, but this is a competitive process, and I invite applications from all eligible candidates whether internal or external. My preferred candidate will be appointed on merit alone.”

The PCC says he is looking for an "outstanding candidate with enthusiasm and passion who will deliver the priorities" set in his Police and Crime Plan and take "Wiltshire to the next level".