Merseyside’s Police Commissioner has congratulated Chief Constable Sir Jon Murphy on 40 years of dedicated service - and marked the occasion by approving an extension to his contract.

Sir Jon is Merseyside’s first home-grown Chief Constable, having joined the force aged 16 as a cadet on January 1975.

He has spent 34 years serving the people of Merseyside.

To mark the anniversary, Jane Kennedy confirmed she has extended Sir Jon's contract for a further three years.

He has been commended on 14 occasions and was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in the 2007 Birthday Honours.

Ms Kennedy said: “I would like to congratulate Sir Jon on this milestone anniversary.

"He has served the people of Merseyside over four decades from a cadet to Chief Constable with dedication, commitment and skill.

“As residents of Merseyside, we are extremely privileged to have benefitted from his service over the last 40 years and I delighted that he has agreed to continue to lead our force for the next three years.

“Sir Jon has led the force through this challenging period with skill and expertise. His strong and decisive leadership has helped steer Merseyside Police through this era of austerity while still maintaining effectiveness.

“By 2019 our force will have lost 40% of its people, yet Merseyside Police is still doing an incredible job.

“Sir Jon’s recent knighthood is a reflection of the respect and high regard that we have for him and how much we appreciate his commitment to the police service on Merseyside."