What the chief constable did next

The former chief constable of Sussex, Martin Richards, is to chair a Church of England safeguarding advisory panel.

Mr Richards, 55, retired earlier this year after six years in charge of Sussex Police. He will become the part-time chairman of the safeguarding panel for the diocese of Chichester.

The diocese has its head office in New Church Road, Hove, close to St Christopher’s, where Mr Richards’s wife Judith is head of lower school.

Martin Richards before he retired from Sussex Police

Mr Richards, the son of a vicar and a primary school headmistress, attended Warwick School. He studied law at Bristol University and later obtained a masters degree in criminology from Cambridge University.

He joined Warwickshire Police in 1982, working in uniform and CID.

He was appointed assistant chief constable of Avon and Somerset in 1998 and deputy chief constable there in 2001.

He became chief constable of Wiltshire Police in 2004 and was appointed chief constable of Sussex in 2007.

The Bishop of Chichester Martin Warner said: “I am delighted to welcome Martin Richards as he takes over the helm of advisory panel from Keith Akerman, who stepped down from his post as chair earlier this year.

“This will cement the partnership that we have been building with statutory agencies and other voluntary associations committed to the safety of vulnerable people and the wellbeing of everyone as a fundamental characteristic of society.”

The bishop, who was appointed two years ago, has spent part of his time dealing with child sex abuse by people in positions of trust within the diocese.