A new chief superintendent will take over the reigns of the East Sussex police division.

Nick Wilkinson will now head the division following the departure of Chief Superintendent Dick Barton, who has taken an overseas secondment.

Mr Wilkinson is local to the division and in particular Eastbourne, where he lives with his wife and three children at Sovereign Harbour.

He said: "I feel passionate about policing in East Sussex, having worked at all ranks across the division, stretching back to 1984 as a PC at Seaford.

"There is some public concern about the the merger between Sussex and Surrey. If this goes ahead, the people of East Sussex will still benefit from increased neighbourhood policing.

"We will continue to tackle the issues which affect our districts and the formation of Neighbourhood Policing Teams, along with closer contact with local communities, will ease people's fear of crime.

"My commitment is to the people who live and work in East Sussex to make sure they are not only safe but also feel safe. We will let the Police Authority and the politicians deal with the restructure and we will get on with delivering a local service.

"New Neighbourhood Policing Teams of specially assigned officers will work with local communities to resolve problems specific to their area."