The former assistant chief constable of Avon and Somerset Constabulary has taken the helm of Sussex Police with the promise to cut red tape.

Ken Jones replaces Paul Whitehouse as the new chief constable of Sussex Police.

Mr Whitehouse was forced to resign from the force over the shooting of unarmed man, James Ashley, in January 1999.

On Monday Mr Jones said he wanted to make criminals' lives were "as insecure as the people they prey on".

'Unwittingly devalued'

He said he accepted the force had been through difficult times but promised to listen to the views and concerns of rank and file officers.

Mr Jones told the force's Patrol magazine: "Everyone who works with me should know what their part is and how they fit into the bigger picture.

"Everyone within Sussex Police should feel like a specialist. In the past, beat officers have been unwittingly devalued but their work is skilled in the same way that traffic and CID is.

"They should be celebrated and treated as such."

He said the key to preventing crime was developing intelligence-led detection and in a model of neighbourhood policing already in place in Sussex.

"If we get that right, then the rest will follow.

"If we know where the offenders live and have the right specialist intelligence, then it follows that beat managers, supported by other specialists, should be able to make their lives as insecure as the people they prey on."

Queen's Police Medal

Mr Jones, a married father-of-one, has a degree in urban studies and a Masters in business administration from Sheffield University.

He joined South Yorkshire Police in 1971, serving as a constable, detective constable and sergeant with the force until 1982.

At Somerset and Avon Police, he was assistant chief constable responsible for CID, operations and personnel.

In November, Mr Jones was awarded the Queen's Police Medal for his work at New Scotland Yard over the millennium.

His predecessor Mr Whitehouse came under pressure from Home Secretary David Blunkett to resign over his handling of the bungled operation in which suspected drug dealer Jimmy Ashley was shot dead by a police marksman.