A senior police officer in the Republic is in the running for the PSNI Chief Constable post.

Garda Assistant Commissioner Derek Byrne is among those shortlisted to replace outgoing Matt Baggott.

Mr Byrne and the other two applicants, George Hamilton and Cressida Dick, will be interviewed at the end of this month for the £195,000-a-year post.

Dubliner Mr Byrne has been a police officer for 35 years and currently oversees National Support Services.

He is studying terrorism and security at Queen's University, having previously trained alongside counter-terror experts from the FBI and New Scotland Yard.

Current PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Mr Hamilton remains the frontrunner for the job, according to senior policing sources.

Mr Hamilton has past experience with Strathclyde Police, where he had responsibility for crime and public protection.

He and Mr Byrne face competition from Ms Dick, Britain's most senior ranking female police officer.

She is currently an Assistant Commissioner with the Metropolitan Police and recently spoke in Belfast at the Senior Women in Policing Conference.

"She would be seen nationally and internationally as one of the most senior players on the policing market," a senior British police source told this newspaper last week.

Nine Policing Board members form the interviewing panel. The board has not yet revealed how many applicants expressed an interest in the post, still regarded as one of the most attractive in UK policing.

Belfast Telegraph