Essex Police is a territorial police force responsible for policing the county of Essex in the east of England. It is one of the largest non-metropolitan police forces in the United Kingdom, employing approximately 3,600 police officers and operating across an area of over 1,400 square miles (3,600 km2) and with a population of around 1.7 million people. The Chief Constable is Stephen Kavanagh since May 2013. Assistant Chief Constable for Media Relations Steve Worron is also simultaneously ACC for Area Operations for Kent Police due to the two forces forming a joint Serious Crime Directorate.