A police officer's wife has complained the force will be less effective in netting paedophiles because of a shortage of detectives.

She broke her silence to criticise what she says is a lack of foresight by Sussex Police.

The force is moving her husband, DC Gary Hankey, from his role of monitoring child abusers in the Worthing area to help Brighton and Hove CID.

Detectives in the city have been lured away by an extra £6,000 a year to work in London.

The force is planning to bring back retired detectives to help with the workload and is transferring officers from other departments and divisions to fill the gaps.

Mrs Hankey said: "There are only two protection officers covering the Worthing and Littlehampton area.

"Two officers is insufficient but taking one away at a time when Sussex Police has encountered the biggest investigation in its history concerning child pornography on the internet makes me shake my head in disbelief.

"This demonstrates a lack of foresight by the police. This knee-jerk reaction will not be without consequences.

"The Chief Constable is a parent but has he thought this one through?

"Littlehampton is the area where Sarah Payne was abducted and murdered by a sex offender.

"If these changes go ahead I think it's a poor reflection to the memory of that little girl and no doubt her mother Sara may well feel the same."

Chief Constable Ken Jones said: "Specific decisions about where an officer is posted are operational matters and personal to the individual concerned.

"However, The Argus has extensively reported the loss of a number of detective officers from Brighton and Hove to the Metropolitan Police and this has to be addressed.

"Operation Chaucer, our force-wide response to the issue of child abuse on the internet, has led to more than 120 arrests in Sussex already.

"This kind of activity illustrates our commitment to child protection in Sussex."