RUC man gets Kosovo command

Sir Ronnie Flanagan: Travelled to meet RUC volunteers in Kosovo

A senior Royal Ulster Constabulary officer is to become commander of the United Nations policing operation in Kosovo.

Assistant Chief Constable Chris Albiston will be responsible for leading the 8,000 international and local officers who police the province.

He is to take up his year long post in January.

Mr Albiston currently has operational command of the RUC's North region and is based at its headquarters in Belfast.

He has been speaking about the role of the police force.

Chris Albiston: Takes up his post in January

On Thursday he said: "The UN mission in Kosovo is designed to bring peace and stability to a province where we have seen the problems which existed during the war of the 1999 period.

"The police within that mission are there to establish the normal provisions of law and order which we take for granted in the west."

A modern history graduate of Exeter College, Oxford, Mr Albiston is married to a doctor and has four children.

He first joined the Metropolitan Police in London in 1975 and spent time on patrol duties as a constable, sergeant and inspector.

Upon his transfer to the RUC in 1989, he was appointed deputy sub-divisional commander in Lisburn.

He progressed through the ranks until he became Assistant Chief Constable in May 1998 when he took over the responsibility for management support.

The RUC's 60-strong contingent have been praised for their peace-keeping contribution in Kosovo.

Northern Ireland security minister Adam Ingram praised the complement from the province during a visit to the Kosovar capital Pristina last December.

RUC Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan has also visited the force's contingent in Kosovo.