Closed police stations will be reopened and more bobbies put back on the beat as part of a radical shake-up of Sussex Police.

New Chief Constable Ken Jones, in his first major move at the helm, said he was determined to restore public confidence in the force and improve performance.

Mr Jones, who took over from ousted Paul Whitehouse late last year, has announced a 16-point plan to reform the force over the next five years.

He has pledged that the name Sussex Police will "come to represent excellence in the delivery of local policing in the UK".

The first raft of changes from an ongoing and extensive review of every service the force provides includes a pledge to return to localised, traditional police service. Front counter service at stations, shut down at night under the previous chief, will be open for longer.

Mr Jones said banks which closed small branches and hospitals which shut casualty departments had begun to see the error of their ways "and we now acknowledge that people need access to police".

He said authority would be restored to these local stations and police would operate from them 24 hours every day.

The new chief pledged police would be more visible in the streets and more accessible.

He insisted this was not a return to the Dixon of Dock Green days but becoming closer to the people the police serve.

Mr Jones also said he was fully embracing the "broken windows" concept, that tackling minor crime and anti-social behaviour at street level deters more serious crimes including burglary.

His plans, backed by the Sussex Police Authority, will mean merging the force's eight divisions into five, plus Gatwick.

Divisions will be larger but each will have district commanders and neighbourhood police teams to integrate with communities.

Local police teams will be set up under a single commander. They will liase with local authorities and agencies.

He said: "Localised policing will become the bedrock of policing in Sussex.

"It is something the people in Sussex want and I believe it will improve public confidence in their local police service.

"By providing an accessible police service we shall enhance public reassurance which is the key to making our communities feel safer."