ALLISTON, Ont. -- Ontario's provincial police have a new commissioner.

Deputy Commissioner Vince Hawkes officially took command of the OPP at a ceremony Monday afternoon in Alliston, Ont.

Hawkes is the 14th commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police force.

During the ceremony, the OPP-Tipstaff, the symbolic mantle of OPP leadership, was passed by retiring commissioner Chris Lewis to Hawkes.

The Tipstaff ceremony was followed by the inspection of an honour guard comprised of current recruit class members.

Hawkes was appointed Deputy Commissioner in August 2006 and in November 2010 took responsibility for the OPP field operations command.

Hawkes has held numerous positions within the OPP, including commander of the Communications and Technology Services Bureau, Detachment Commander, and Regional Criminal Operations Manager.