Criminals Beware Warns New Chief Constable.

Criminals in West Sussex can expect short shrift from the county's new Chief Constable Joe Edwards.He is out to achieve justice for victims by bringing more offenders to court through strong localised policing and promised that the county would soon have the largest number of community support officers in Britain.

In an interview with the WSG last week he said he wants Sussex to become a safer place for everyone except criminals, and that less crime and more convictions is his main aim.

Since taking over the role from Ken Jones last month Joe Edwards has been visiting every police station and meeting as many members of staff as possible as well as meeting local residents and MPs.

"I want to increase the amount of public confidence and satisfaction through a heavily motivated professional police force which is exactly what we have got here in Sussex," he said.

On the subject of the reorganisation of police forces throughout the country police chief Edwards said that he was an 'advocate of the right change for the right reasons and in the right timescale'. The last major change in policing took place in the 1960s and he said that some changes did need to be made to meet 21st century policing challenges such as organised crime, the threat of terrorism and drugs.

He said that the review of policing needs need not affect the quality of local policing.

For full story see WSG March 2