Mark Hamilton leads PSNI after Simon Byrne resigns as chief constable
Mark Hamilton is currently in command of the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
The deputy chief constable was placed in charge after Simon Byrne resigned as chief constable earlier this week.
Moves are currently under way to recruit a new chief constable, as the PSNI deals with the fall-out from a series of controversies including a major data breach.
The Police Federation on Wednesday passed a vote of no confidence in DCC Hamilton, chief operating officer Pamela McCreedy, and assistant chief officer Clare Duffield.
Mr Hamilton was due to attend but pulled out because of an "unplanned medical procedure," the PSNI said.
Who is Mark Hamilton?
Mark Hamilton was appointed as Deputy Chief Constable of the PSNI in February 2020.
The Policing Board at the time said he "brings wide ranging experience to the role, having served in a range of posts during his 25 year career in policing".
Mr Hamilton has specific responsibility for operational policing matters including crime and local policing, and also has overall responsibility for professional standards within the PSNI.
Prior to his promotion, he was assistant chief constable for district policing command and had responsibility for response and neighbourhood policing and for volume crime across NI.
He has also previously held command positions as interim director of human resources and head of legacy and justice department.
Mr Hamilton began his policing career in 1994, and has served in a wide range of posts around the Belfast and Armagh areas.
He was commander of Urban Region Operational Command Unit with responsibility for roads policing, tactical support groups, Belfast Regional Control and level II crime.
In March 2009 he was promoted to chief superintendent and took over the role of District Commander, ‘A’ District, North and West Belfast.
Mark Hamilton took up role as deputy head of service improvement department in April 2012, where he had responsibility for policing with the community branch, criminal justice branch, public protection branch, anti-corruption & vetting, discipline branch, firearms & explosives branch and custody healthcare.
In July 2013 he was promoted to assistant chief constable, service improvement department.
Then, in July 2014, Mark Hamilton took on the role of NPCC hate crime lead to promote hate crime standards and awareness across the UK.
Mr Hamilton was interim director of human resources from March 2015 until February 2016, when he took on responsibility for legacy and justice department.
Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know.