The South East region is about to have a female as its most senior police officer for the first time.

Dr Sheryl Jones will have the rank of Superintendent and take charge of 100 uniformed police from mid-November.

She will succeed Superintendent Campbell Hill who is returning to Adelaide.

Supt Hill came to the region in 2018 to fill the newly-created role of Operations Inspector and was promoted to Superintendent and Limestone Coast officer in charge three years later following the retirement of Superintendent Phil Hoff.

In other police appointments, Operations Inspector Karen Conway is departing that position.

The senior staffing announcements were made by Supt Hill when he addressed a recent meeting of Wattle Range Council.

He described the good working relationship between the police and the council and cited successful negotiations between the two parties for the use of vacant land at the rear of the Millicent police station.

Among the other matters canvassed by Supt Hill were measures to counter fire bugs, hoon driving behaviour, additional police resources for New Year’s Eve celebrations and speed limits on beaches.

Councillor Dale Price queried the placement of speed limit signs when roadworks were not in progress.

Supt Hill had earlier explained that some motorists were disobeying such signs and gave an example which had taken place the same day on the Princess Highway between Mount Gambier and Millicent.

He was driving an unmarked police vehicle in one of those speed-controlled zones when he was overtaken by another vehicle.

The uniformed superintendent then activated his vehicle’s flashing lights and siren and apprehended the offending motorist.