A new inspector has taken command of two Suffolk neighbourhood policing areas.

Inspector Matt Paisley took over from Kevin Horton as locality inspector for Haverhill and Sudbury, following the latter's move to Operation Response – dealing with policing challenges in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.

Insp Paisley was previously in charge of the Bury St Edmunds area, having joined Suffolk Constabulary in 2004 and served in Ipswich, Capel St Mary, and Hadleigh, as well as Sudbury's safer neighbourhood sergeant.

"I've got strong Sudbury links, having worked as a Pc and sergeant in the area," he said.

"Getting to know the Haverhill patch has been an interesting learning curve.

"Both have different demands and are covered by different councils, but I still have contacts at Babergh from my time in Hadleigh, and at West Suffolk from my time in Bury.

"It's not one size fits all. Different communities need different approaches."

Insp Paisley oversees service delivery and performance for two safer neighbourhood teams, comprising two sergeants, 12 PCs, three PCSOs, a support investigator, two engagement officers and two more providing a link service with partners.

The areas are also served by 45 response PCs and 10 response sergeants across the two stations.

As the country returns to normality following the Covid pandemic, Insp Paisley acknowledged that policing will have to adapt to changes in demand.

"From a practical perspective, demand has fallen across the county, which makes it difficult, when dealing with trends, to predict what the future looks like," he said.

"We know that, by the end of June, we'll see a sense of normality return. There's no hard and fast rule to say demand will reflect what it was pre-Covid.

"We've seen more proactivity on a local level since the pandemic. The question is how we maintain that visibility while dealing with changes in demand.

"We've got the support of licensed premises and will no doubt see an increase in the night-time economy – and we're prepared for that.

"We're confident we have the provisions in place for what's on the horizon – and if demand doesn't return to pre-Covid levels, we'll utilise resources in the right way."

As well as supporting officers as things return to normal and demand increases, Insp Paisley's priorities for the area range from a continued focus on county lines drug trafficking to long-term sustainable resolutions to anti-social behaviour in Sudbury's Belle Vue Park.