A CHIEF Superintendent is to retire after 30 years of service.

Chief Superintendent Martin Walker is leaving Sussex Police in March.

He has been the divisional commander for West Sussex for the past six years and has also worked as chairman of the West Sussex Think Family Partnership Board – a multi-agency group working to improve the lives of young people and their families.

Chief Superintendent Steve Whitton, currently the temporary divisional commander for Brighton and Hove, will take over the role of West Sussex Divisional Commander.

Mr Walker said: “It has been an honour to serve the people of West Sussex alongside so many professional and dedicated police officers and staff, partners and volunteers, who together bring peace and justice to our communities.

“While policing looks very different from when I first joined, the core principles of protecting the public and catching criminals remain at the heart of policing.

“Steve is a highly experienced and capable police commander. Having worked on West Sussex in a number of roles during his service, Steve is well placed to lead the policing service in the county for the next few years. I wish him every success.”

Mr Walker followed in the footsteps of his father, Bob Walker, and joined the police.

He started out with the Metropolitan Police in 1985, where he served during the Brixton and Poll Tax riots.

He was also notably working at the time of the Clapham rail disaster, before moving back to Sussex as the Section Inspector for Steyning.

He was promoted through the ranks, serving as the district commander for Adur and head of the force’s tactical firearms unit.

Chief constable Giles York said: “Martin’s personal professionalism and commitment throughout the years has made his contribution to modernising police today as cutting edge as ever, demonstrated in his support and implementation of multi-agency missing person teams dedicated to making some of our most vulnerable even safer.”