A former Brighton police chief is taking charge of the force in Mid Sussex just months after moving from John Street to the top job in Crawley.
Chief Inspector Dave Padwick moved from his job in Brighton to become the Crawley district commander at the end of August.
He led the response and investigation teams during his 18 months in Brighton and Hove.
Now the Crawley and Mid Sussex police districts have been merged and Chief Inspector Padwick has taken charge of the new joint area.
Sussex Police said: “Working together as a larger team, the two districts will be able to operate without boundaries, sharing best practice and being more flexible in managing tasks and deploying resources.”
Chief Inspector Padwick said: “I am keen to ensure that my priority is on matters that are based on intelligence-led policing, focusing on where there is the most threat, risk and harm, in order to keep the communities of Crawley and Mid Sussex safe and protect the most vulnerable.
“Pulling together the resources of Crawley and Mid Sussex will result in a more agile and flexible policing response which will ensure that we can really focus on those who do the most harm in our communities.
“I am really looking forward to working with our partners to make Mid Sussex an even safer place to live and work.”
Chief Inspector Padwick started his career in the Metropolitan Police in 1988, transferring to Sussex on promotion to Sergeant in 1997. He is married with two teenage children.
