THE new section commander for the Pewsey police sub division is Sgt Andy Peach whose career in the force started as a Special.

Sgt Peach was a member of the Specials in his native Portsmouth before joining the Wiltshire force in 1987.

He has moved from the borough police station in Devizes to Pewsey where he has taken over from Sgt John Coppen.

Sgt Coppen was the senior officer in Pewsey for five years and has become a full time officer with the Police Federation.

Sgt Peach did his probationary training at Devizes and then joined the CID for eight years, serving for much of that time with the drugs squad.

Returning to uniform he was moved to Chippenham police station where he was promoted to sergeant in 1999. He did stints at Marlborough, in the custody suite at Salisbury and returned to Devizes borough before being named as the new section commander in Pewsey.

His arrival at Pewsey coincides with that of two new constables, PC Mark Eburne who started work this week and PC Ian Thomas who will be transferring from Tidworth to Pewsey in May.

Within days of arriving in Pewsey Sgt Peach said he realised how close-knit the community was and said he appreciated the welcome he had been given by people like carnival committee chairman Richard Giles.

He said: "I am a community orientated police officer and look forward to working with the people of Pewsey and the surrounding villages."