A Nottinghamshire Police officer has been replaced by his son after almost five decades of service.
Dennis Bakewell retired from the forces last August, almost 50 years after he started serving in 1972, and will now be replaced by his son, Chris Bakewell.
The 31-year-old gained the role of staff officer in the Digital Multimedia Evidence Unit, after a rigorous application process, and admitted he was aware it would be difficult to live up to his father.
Chris Bakewell said: “I think I’ve got big shoes to fill, they’ve all said nice things about him, but I guess they’re going to. They’ve got a lot of good things to say about him.
“It’s difficult because my dad’s done it for so long as has his own way of doing things. I’m trying to resist going to him because it could get a bit convoluted if my training tells me one thing and my dad another.”
Chris Bakewell did have time to praise how welcoming the team was, “Everyone in the department has been really welcoming, they obviously know my dad and so they’d probably heard a bit about me before I came,” he said.
Lois Perry-Doyle, a supervisor within the Digital Multimedia Evidence Unit, said the team missed having Dennis around but were also thrilled to welcome Chris.
She said: “It was a pleasure to have worked with Dennis. He was an intrinsic member of the DMEU family and an asset to Nottinghamshire Police.
“We were terribly sad to see him leave and miss his humour around the office.
“It is so wonderful having his son Chris join the unit and follow in his father’s footsteps. He has some big shoes to fill but I am confident he will rise to the challenge.”
