Dave is hanging up his handcuffs after 33 years (From This is Hampshire)

Dave is hanging up his handcuffs after 33 years

12:00am Saturday 13th October 2012 in News

SERGEANT Dave Phillips is retiring from the police force after more than 33 years of service in the Hampshire area.

Sgt Phillips has worked in Basingstoke, Alton, Gosport and more recently Andover, Weyhill and currently Stockbridge.

Dave joined the force in A u g u s t 1979 at B a s i n g - stoke as a police cons t a b l e b e f o r e spells at Alton and t h e n G o s p o r t where he met his wife and had four chi l d ren.

He later moved to Andover in January 1994 and has served in the local area ever since.

A strange call during Dave’s career came at Weyhill in the late 1990s when he had to drive the carcass of a dead camel as it could not be disposed of legally in any other way.

Dave said: “I should have retired three years ago but I decided to stay on because I love the job, but I’m probably not as fast now as I used to be and now is a good time to go.”

“I have enjoyed being able to go out and talk to people in the local community and comm u n i c a t e with them and have loved my job as a sergeant.”

Dave is now moving on to work for You Trust and is looking forward to again doing something to benefit people in a new challenge.