Suffolk Police’s Western Area is welcoming a new Crime Manager, as Detective Chief Inspector Stuart Hudson retires after completing 31 years service. He is replaced by DCI John Perkins, whilst Mr Hudson moves to a new role as the area’s Partnership Coordinator.

Mr Hudson began his police career in the Metropolitan Police in 1977, before transferring to Suffolk in 1981. He started off on patrol in Ipswich before moving to CID, serving in Ipswich, at Police Headquarters at Martlesham and in Bury St Edmunds.

Mr Hudson also worked as a uniformed Inspector. He says, “Whilst I was the operations Inspector at Bury St Edmunds I was the lead in organising the policing of demonstrations at Huntington Life Sciences near Eye, that was the first time I can remember there being large numbers of demonstrators in the county and at the time I was also a Police Support Unit Inspector, so I got to see the demonstrators close up. In the main they were all well behaved and things went off peacefully.

“The next post I had was at Sudbury as the town Inspector, I really enjoyed that role and was able to build up some good relationships within the community. I tried out some different methods of community engagement, working with Sudbury High School where the students did small plays on issues such as alcohol, drugs and bullying. Also I worked with young offenders in the town and the elderly, and brought the two groups together in a workshop to discuss their issues and different perspectives. This worked really well, and we found it is often perceptions rather than reality that are the issues we need to tackle.

“I was trained as a firearms officer and I helped to look after most of the royal family and notable politicians when they visited the county. Of the royals Princess Diana was the best as she would always speak to you and was good fun to work with, but in a professional manner. The person that I will always remember was Ian Paisley, he was an amazing orator, he really made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

“As one of the force’s Senior Investigating Officers I was involved in many sad cases, but the one of note has to be the Ipswich murders in 2006. I had already been called out on the Saturday for the murder of Jimoh Plunkett in Ipswich and had been involved in that case for a few days. On Tuesday morning I got the call to take over the case of a missing woman, Paula Clennell, and by mid afternoon she had been found dead at Levington. So began my involvement with Suffolk’s largest ever inquiry. I was very pleased to get a conviction, but it cannot take away from the fact that five women lost their lives and so many more were devastated.

“I have worked with many fantastically hard working and dedicated officers over the years, some who are now retired and others who are still serving. As a smaller Force, we have worked closely together and this has been a strength. I have really enjoyed my 31 years service, and I have had great support from my family who has had to put up with the long hours and the middle of the night call outs. Now I am ready for a new challenge, and the role of Partnership Coordinator will provide that.”

The area Partnership Coordinator helps police work together with other agencies, improving community safety and quality of life, giving young and prolific offenders help and support to reintegrate into society, and promoting joint working to tackle crime and disorder.

Mr Hudson continues, “This is a time of potential great changes, with the forthcoming decisions on the Local Government review and the current economic climate. At a local level, Safer Neighbourhood Teams are beginning to provide long-term sustainable results with a more community-focused approach. This is where I feel I can deliver, as improving the quality of service by the police has always been my aim in all the posts I have held.”

Replacing Mr Hudson as Area Crime Manager is DCI John Perkins. He joined Suffolk Constabulary in 1982, having initially qualified as an electrical engineer before deciding to follow in his late father’s footsteps and become a police officer. He began his policing career in Mildenhall before moving to the Bury rural area, and later returning to Forest Heath as a Detective.

Most of his service has been spent in the field of criminal investigation, and DCI Perkins was seconded for a three-year period as a Detective Sergeant to the National Crime Squad. This took him all over the country working in places like London, Newcastle, Birmingham and Liverpool.

DCI Perkins returned to Suffolk on promotion and worked in a variety of roles dealing with serious criminal investigation. More recently he has been working within highly specialised covert roles from Police Headquarters.

DCI Perkins now takes charge of criminal investigation for west Suffolk. He says, “We are lucky that Suffolk is such a safe county. In my experience the majority of crime is committed by a small minority of people. It is therefore essential that our Neighbourhood Policing Teams communicate effectively with local citizens. With the right information from communities, police and other agencies can take a robust stance against criminals and anti-social behaviour.”