New faces arrive with five more officers on their patch

POLICE visibility is to increase in Wealden according to two new police chiefs who have just been appointed.

Inspectors Tony Wakefield and Damon Funnell say an extra four constables and one sergeant will be on the beat to give increased reassurance to residents.

The pair have just taken over the running of the Wealden patch, an area which stretches from Forest Row down to Hailsham.

Inspector Wakefield has come from Eastbourne where he has served for 22 years, five of them as an inspector, while Inspector Funnell, who has come from Hastings, has been with Sussex Police for 14 years in various departments, including CID and the child protection team.

Inspector Wakefield will be more involved with the community.

He said: "There won't be any great changes.

"We want to involve the community more on decision making.

"We also want to develop neighbourhood panels which are already in existence.

"It is all about giving the people what they want, not what they are going to get."

Inspector Funnell heads a team of 60 staff making up the neighbourhood response team which will cover the whole of Wealden.

He said: "It is all about being more accessible to provide a visible and reassuring presence for the public.

"Wealden is proportionally a very safe place to live."

The increase in staff will see 12 PCs instead of eight and five sergeants instead of four.

Inspector Wakefield said: "The public keep telling us they want to see more bobbies on the street.

"It is not in response to rising crime.

"People just like to see a police presence."