Sussex's new chief constable was starting work today with a pledge to make crooks' lives "as insecure as the people they prey on".

Ken Jones officially takes over from former chief Paul Whitehouse, who was forced to resign over the shooting of James Ashley in 1998.

Mr Jones, who was second in command at Avon and Somerset Police, said he accepted the force had been through difficult times but pledged to listen to the concerns of rank-and-file officers, who he said would be properly valued.

Speaking in the force's Patrol magazine, father-of-one Mr Jones, 49, made clear his dislike for bureaucracy, unnecessary deference and hierarchy, which he blamed for a breakdown in communication between officers.

He said: "Everyone who works with me should know what their part is and how they fit into the bigger picture.

"Everyone within Sussex Police should feel like a specialist. In the past, beat officers have been unwittingly devalued but their work is skilled in the same way that traffic and CID is.

"They should be celebrated and treated as such. "

Mr Jones, who served as a senior investigator for the Hong Kong independent commission against corruption, claimed the key to preventing crime was held in developing intelligence-led detection and in a model of neighbourhood policing already in place in Sussex.

He told Patrol: "If we get that right, then the rest will follow. With integrated neighbourhood units we'll cut through artificial internal barriers and structures and be better placed to target crime, prolific offenders and neighbourhood problems.

"This isn't rocket science. If we know where offenders live and have the right intelligence then it follows that beat managers, supported by other specialists, should be able to make their lives as insecure as the people they prey on."

Mr Jones, who has a degree in urban studies and a masters in business administration from Sheffield University, joined South Yorkshire Police in 1971, serving as a constable, detective constable and sergeant with the force until 1982.

He served as a district commander in Doncaster and Sheffield and as a deputy commander in Barnsley.

At Somerset and Avon Police, he was Assistant Chief Constable, responsible for CID, operations and personnel from 1997 to 2000.

In February last year he was promoted to Deputy Chief Constable.

His predecessor Mr Whitehouse came under pressure from Home Secretary David Blunkett to step down over his handling of the bungled operation in which suspected drug dealer Jimmy Ashley was shot dead by a police marksman.

He officially retired from his position as chief constable on September 24, last year, but ceased all operational duties on July 2. He said retiring was the "honourable" thing to do.

Acting Chief Constable Maria Wallis was recently awarded the Queen's Police Medal in the New Year's Honours List in recognition of the way she run the force since September following Mr Whitehouse's departure.