CHANGES in policing over the past 30 years have been keenly observed by a Malvern constable who retires from duty before the new year.

Steve Connolly, who lives in Hanley Swan, signed up to the force in December 1979, and was soon on the beat in Malvern Link – travelling around on his trusty three-speed bike.

He remained a beat constable for four years before becoming a response car driver for 20 years and then spending the last six years of his career in the inquiries office.

Mr Connolly’s time in Malvern Link meant that he got to know people in the local community.

He said: “A lot of them have gone now from when I was down there.

“You do get to know everyone quite well, though.

“I used to serve on the governing board of St Matthias Primary School.”

The 53-year-old said that he had noticed a recent return to the traditional aspects of policing he encountered when he first became an officer.

He said: “They’re definitely trying to go back to those days because of the interaction with the public.

“Without the public support, we have got nothing because they are our eyes and ears.”

Mr Connolly saw his fair share of action during his career, dealing with riots in Toxteth and Handsworth, as well as miners’ disputes at pits in Yorkshire and Nottingham.

He said: “They were quite hairy. We used to get bricked, stoned and fire-bombed. We even had nail- guns fired at us.”

He was also first on the scene when a military jet crashed near Poolbrook, Great Malvern, in 1981, an accident which forced the pilot to eject over the Chase High School.

He described the sight as “incredible” saying: “It disappeared straight into the mud. It was as if the ground had opened up and swallowed it.”

For the final few years of his career, Mr Connolly worked at the inquiries office, preparing files for arrests.

He said: “It was quite interesting because there was such a wide variety, including a couple of big fraud jobs which we had to deal with.”

Mr Connolly, who lives with his wife Sandra and has a grown-up daughter, officially retired from duty on Wednesday, December 30.