Austin Hunter has been appointed editor of the Belfast-based News Letter.

Previously director of communications for the Police Service of Northern Ireland, he succeeds Nigel Wareing who left the paper in January after the former Trinity Mirror-owned title was sold to venture capital group 3i.

Austin, (52), began his journalism career at the Strabane Weekly News and Tyrone Constitution in 1970, before joining the BBC.

In 2000 he was appointed communications chief of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, which became the Police Service of Northern Ireland in 2001.