New West Sussex Police Chief

The new divisional commander for West Sussex is Chief Superintendent Steve Whitton taking over from 9 March.

Although he may be leaving Brighton and Hove City, he is no stranger to West Sussex having lived there for 25 years and carried out a number of policing roles on the division including neighbourhood inspector in Mid Sussex and as Arun’s district commander from 2003 to 2005.

Steve joined Sussex Police as an officer 28 years ago, starting out in Brighton in 1986. From 2009 to the end of 2014, he headed up Brighton and Hove division’s crime and operations.

CS Whitton said;

It is a real privilege to be taking over as the West Sussex divisional commander and a great opportunity for me to build on the strong legacy Martin leaves behind.

I will be joining a fantastic team who are committed to keeping West Sussex safe by providing a quality policing service to those who need us. My focus will continue to be working in partnership to reduce crime, catching criminals and protecting the vulnerable.I am really looking forward to getting out and about to meet my new team and working with them to shape a policing service to embrace the challenges of the future.”

Sussex Police Chief Constable Giles York said:

I am really pleased that Steve has been appointed as the new divisional commander for West Sussex.Steve inherits a strong team of officers and staff and I know that with his policing experience and diligent leadership, the division will continue to deliver an excellent public service to the residents of West Sussex. The County Council was instrumental in the selection process to appoint Steve.

This input was so valuable, as delivering successful partnership working is very much an integral part of what we do. I am in no doubt that Steve’s flexible approach and innovative thinking are the right skill set to help achieve a workforce and policing model that are fit for the future challenges we face.”

West Sussex County Council leader Louise Goldsmith said:

I look forward to working with Steve in his new role. We’ve always had a very good and strong working relationship with Sussex Police and I have no doubt that will continue under Steve’s leadership.Our partnership work with Sussex Police has allowed us both to achieve some real successes for the people of West Sussex, most notably around all the work with our Think Family programme.”