Only two top cops have applied to replace outgoing chief constable Sir Peter Fahy - with just a few days to go before the deadline.

It is understood GMP’s current deputy chief constable Ian Hopkins and former deputy Simon Byrne, now the boss of Cheshire Police, are the only officers who have so far applied for the £185,000-a-year post.

The chief Constable of Humberside Police, Justine Curran, has been sounded out for the job but - as as the September 4 deadline approaches she has not yet applied.

All three are current or former GMP officers.

One source said: “It’s a pity Justine hasn’t thrown her hat in the ring yet. She’d be a very credible candidate who’d give the boys a run for their money.”

The advert for the post asks for candidates with ‘strong strategic vision, ambition and leadership’, adding: “GMP is one of the largest and most influential forces in the UK and you will need to have the gravitas and influence to shape policing and public services on a local and national level.”

(Image: PA)

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Although it stresses the force is an equal opportunities employer and seeks applications from ‘as wide and diverse a background as possible’, so far both the applicants are white men.

Interviews and assessments for the post will be held on September 15 and 16, with Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Lloyd expected to announced his preferred candidate on September 16.

The nomination must then be approved by a panel of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s office. Although it has the power to veto the nomination as long as they have a two-thirds majority, it is anticipated that Mr Lloyd’s choice will be formally installed, replacing Sir Peter in October.

One high-flyer who won’t be considered is the current Deputy Chief Constable of the West Midlands, Dave Thompson.

Longsight-raised Mr Thompson is applying for the post of chief constable of that force but the interviews have been scheduled on the same days as GMP’s interviews, causing some consternation in Mr Lloyd’s office.

GMP’s current deputy chief constable Ian Hopkins is considered the front runner by many inside GMP, especially as every chief constable who has been installed since the introduction of police and crime commissioners has been the deputy of the force concerned.

Another source said: “Ian Hopkins and Simon Byrne are very different characters. It will be interesting to see who wins or if it remains a two-horse race.”