One of Northern Ireland's top police officers is set to move to Iraq to help rebuild the country's police force. An announcement that Assistant Chief Constable Stephen White is Basra-bound is expected within days.
Mr White is expected to take on a top international advisory role in the creation of a new police force in southern Iraq.
The Foreign Office yesterday refused to confirm the appointment, but said an announcement on the successful candidate for the job was due "in the next few days".
Three other senior UK officers were shortlisted.
Mr White (48) is commander of the Police Service of Northern Ireland's south region and best known for his handling of the annual Drumcree Orange Order parade crisis in Portadown, Co Armagh.
His departure will leave a gap in the senior management of the PSNI and it is not known whether he will be needed in Basra before this year's Drumcree parade in early July.
Mr White will join several other senior police officers from the United Kingdom who are involved in rebuilding the policing infrastructure in Iraq.
Mr Paul Kernaghan, the Chief Constable of Hampshire, who is originally from Northern Ireland,took up a position in Iraq last month.
He has been touring Basra and Baghdad as part of the mission to review police pay, staffing and structure and to help restore public confidence in the force.
Mr White has considerable international policing experience. He has previously overseen policing reforms in Serbia, Mongolia and Indonesia. - (PA)