Inspector Andrew Whitton, originally from Timsbury, has retired from the Avon and Somerset Constabulary after a full and varied 25 years of service which took him to Guernsey – but began in Keynsham by joining The Special Constabulary, the part-time volunteer section of statutory police forces.
He joined as a full-time police officer in 1995 and was seconded to Guernsey Police, originally for a year. He already knew the island well, as he had family there and had visited as a child – deciding to move there permanently in 2001. 25 years after starting his full-time career, Inspector Whitton is now retiring.
He demonstrated a commitment to the role early on, as, during his initial secondment, he received a Chief Officer’s Commendation after attending an arson attack where he took quick action to call the Fire Service and then evacuate the occupants of nearby flats.
A year after his permanent move to Guernsey, Inspector Whitton joined the CID, (Criminal Investigation Department) as a Detective Constable and received a Chief Officer’s Commendation.
In 2003 he was promoted to a Sergeant, moving to uniform operations, dealing with community problem profiles. In 2005, then-Sergeant Whitton moved back into CID as Detective Sergeant, running a department comprising of eight detectives and assisted with investigating two murder inquiries and received two further Chief Officer’s Commendations.
He was promoted to Detective Inspector, where he worked in the Commercial Fraud and External Affairs Department, qualified as an accredited Financial investigator and completed both a foundation degree in Police Studies and an undergraduate degree in Policing and Police Studies.
After the promotion he took charge of the Professional Standards Department, investigating complaints against the police, before moving on to becoming the Tactical Firearms Commander in 2015.
At the end of September 2016, he took over responsibility for Neighbourhood Policing and for major incidents and qualified as a Senior Identification Manager in relation to Disaster Victim Identification, making him the Operational Inspector responsible for the islands of Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, Herm, the Neighbourhood Policing Team and the Special Constabulary, Major Incidents, Senior Identification Manager and Tactical
Firearms Commander.
Inspector Whitton said: “My time with Guernsey Police has been long and enjoyable, and it has been a privilege to work alongside my colleagues as I have progressed through my career. While I am looking forward to retirement, I will miss the daily challenge, having been a Special Constable and a regular officer for nearly 38 years – policing is in my blood.”