The 14 divisional commanders who will lead local policing across Scotland have been announced, with Chief Superintendent Hamish Macpherson appointed to Tayside and Chief Superintendent Garry McEwan to Fife.
They will formally start work on April 1 when the new national organisation takes over from the existing eight forces.
The 14 commanders will report to the regional assistant chief constables and are tasked with ensuring Police Scotland fulfils the requirement of policing local authority areas.
Chief Constable Stephen House said he was delighted the team is in place.
“Their work is right at the heart of the new single police service for Scotland and will ensure that we maintain and build on the high quality of policing already in place,” he said.
“The change to a single service offers us the opportunity to do things better. Putting local policing at the heart of our work will help us do this.
“This new team led by a dedicated deputy chief constable reflects the importance we attach to their work.”
Mr Macpherson said: “We are involved in the most significant transition period that the policing service in Scotland has ever experienced. That change will be most apparent to our officers and staff but the people of Tayside can be assured they will still be at the heart of everything we do. I am proud and privileged to be appointed as the local policing commander for Tayside Division.”Tayside’s new commanderTayside commander Hamish Macpherson was born in Dundee and educated at Forthill Primary and Grove Academy in Broughty Ferry, where he still lives.
He joined Tayside Police in 1986 and carried out beat duties in Crieff, Auchterarder, Alyth and Blairgowrie before joining the Western Division Criminal Investigation Department in Perth.
He made sergeant in 1996 and the year after was seconded to a national operation responsible for the tracing and DNA sampling of sex and violent offenders.
Mr Macpherson was promoted to inspector in 1999 and in 2005 joined the Professional Standards Department prior to being promoted to chief inspector in divisional command at Perth.
Made divisional commander covering Dundee, Angus, and Perth and Kinross in April 2012, he is married with one daughter.Fife commander Garry McEwanGarry McEwan joined Fife Constabulary in 1990.
The majority of his career has been spent in Divisional CID at Kirkcaldy and Glenrothes, then at Headquarters CID, where he was deputy director of intelligence.
In November 2007 Mr McEwan made chief inspector and took up the post of staff officer to the chief constable.
He was promoted to detective superintendent in 2009, with responsibility for crime mangement where he also had oversight of the Public Protection Unit.
He also had oversight on Operation Mercer, the largest and most complex inquiry undertaken by Fife Constabulary.
On promotion to chief superintendent Mr McEwan became head of the Corporate Management Division.
Born and brought up in Glenrothes, he is married with two young children.