Inspector Chris Drew went back to basics on his last day as a policeman by patrolling an 11-mile beat along the Sussex coast.

For Chris it was a fitting way to end his 26 years as a policeman before he sets off to see the world on his Harley Davidson.

He spent yesterday walking and cycling from Saltdean to Lancing before saying goodbye to colleagues at his base at Shoreham police station.

He and his wife Kim have bought a motorhome for a year-long trip touring Europe, New Zealand and North America.

They leave on Monday and will tow his cherished Harley on a trailer when Chris is not riding it.

Chris, 50, said: "I have a great chance to open new doors in life.

"My plan will be the opposite of my police career, which has been structured and controlled.

"Over the next few months I will go down life's highway and simply see what happens and what opportunities come up."

He joined Sussex Police from Surrey in 1978 and served as a uniformed officer and a detective.

He has been sector commander for both East Brighton and central Brighton, as well as Lancing and Shoreham.

He has won two Chief Constable's commendations and his duties included protecting then prime minister Margaret Thatcher during her visits to Sussex.

He said: "I was not with her on the night of the bomb at The Grand in Brighton. I was transferred to become sector inspector at Lancing the day before.

"The officer I was working with at the time left his car outside the hotel and it was hit by falling masonry when the bomb went off.

"He was not in it at the time but we both had a narrow escape."

He has a host of memories, including appearing on Crimewatch UK in a wetsuit.

He said: "An elderly lady was murdered in Worthing in the Eighties and we had the description of a car and believed the suspect was a sail boarder.

"Bill Nixon, a colleague of mine, and I decided to put out an appeal on Crimewatch.

"They ran a picture of me modelling the wetsuit and thankfully didn't show my face.

"Within ten minutes we had a call from a woman saying she had seen the car in a car park on the coast. Ten minutes later we had a name and a man was arrested."

His saddest memories include the death of Shoreham officer PC Jeff Tooley, who was mown down at a speed check in 1999.

Chris said: "I am leaving though with a lot of happy memories."