Kingston police’s new commander has described taking over the borough as “like coming home”.

Detective Chief Superintendent Martin Greenslade has impressive police credentials, with 28 years in the Metropolitan Police under his belt.

The father-of-two is already familiar with Kingston, as he lives in Esher and has paid regular visits to the town during his 18 years living in the area.

He said: “I suppose I still haven’t got used to walking into Kingston town centre because I only used to go there on my days off to go shopping.

“I’ve seen some of the issues and I’m really delighted and immensely proud to be here as borough commander.

“I know I am taking on something good but, invariably, things change.”

On his first day in the job, last Monday, he was out at 6.15am making arrests with the early turn team, something he said he would like to do more of if time permits.

He did not finish until 7pm, after a tiring day of meeting the team.

He said: “I really wanted to hit the ground running and cram as much in as possible.

“I think it’s important you do get out as much as you can and patrol with the officers and PCSOs to get a feel for what the issues are.”

The role of borough commander is not an entirely new experience to D Chief Supt Greenslade, having previously held the post in Bromley.

He left Territorial Police headquarters, where he worked with Deputy Commissioner Tim Godwin and the London criminal justice board, to take his new job.

A stint at Sandhurst also takes pride of place on his CV.

Despite his successes, his illustrious policing career almost never was, after he landed a job as a chartered accountant, fresh out of Warwick University.

But it is clear, 28 years after joining, that his heart still lies firmly with the force.

He said: “You can get immense satisfaction out of the small things that really make a difference to people’s lives.

“One of the great things about this job is the people that you meet.

“I can already sense here that there is a real commitment to do the job well and deliver to the local people.”

D Chief Supt Greenslade replaced Laura Nicholson, who announced her resignation in April after landing a job as assistant chief constable in Hampshire police.

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