Former inspector Alastair Dickie began as the Clutha-Taieri area response manager yesterday, at the rank of senior sergeant.
He will oversee policing in the Clutha-Taieri sub-area, and fills the vacancy left by former senior sergeant Richard Whitmore's transfer to Clinton, where he is now a senior constable at the sole-charge station.
Snr Sgt Dickie (56) said he had ''demoted himself'' from inspector to senior sergeant, a move he was very comfortable with.
The role includes providing administrative and operational support to Balclutha, Mosgiel and surrounds.
His time will be split between the Balclutha and Mosgiel stations. Snr Sgt Dickie will continue to live in East Taieri with his wife Raewyn and daughter Erin (11).
He has two adult sons from his first marriage, one of whom is a constable in Balclutha.
Snr Sgt Dickie said Clutha staff were in ''good heart'', and he would spend his first few days getting a feel for the district.
He has been in the police for 36 years, 19 of those in Balclutha, and was looking forward to provincial policing again.
Police had a focus on prevention, and he would continue that in Clutha.
Alcohol and behaviour on roads were still big issues for the area, and police would be enforcing road safety rules to combat the ''fatal five'' - speed, alcohol, keeping left, seat belts and reckless or dangerous driving.
''It's about safety, not revenue-gathering.''
Snr Sgt Dickie joined the police in 1978, spending his first year in Dunedin before transferring to Balclutha in 1979.
He worked in Balclutha for eight and a-half years until he moved to Christchurch in 1987.
He returned to Balclutha in 1993 to a newly-created sergeant position before being promoted to senior sergeant and Clutha sub-area controller in 1994.
In January 2004, he transferred to Mosgiel in the position of Mosgiel sub-area controller, becoming the Dunedin-based emergency response commander in 2007.
Sergeant Craig Dinnissen returns to his normal role on Monday, after relieving as senior sergeant. Sergeant Stan Lieshman, of Dunedin, will be acting detective sergeant in Balclutha from Monday.
