POLICEMAN Steve Waterhouse is off the beat after 30 years fighting crime in West Yorkshire.
The Pc, 54, has retired at the end of an 11-year stint in Holmfirth and the Colne and Holme valleys.
He said: “I’ve always enjoyed being out there on the frontline, at the sharp end, so I never wanted to get a desk job.
“It’s not just a job. You can be dealing with a fatal road accident one minute and then be kicking in someone’s door because they’re locked out the next.
“Crime hasn’t changed much.
“I think the main change has been the development of technology to make things easier.”
Father-of-one Mr Waterhouse, of Kirkheaton, spent his first 16 years as a beat bobby and community constable in Odsall.
He then spent three years training officers in baton handling and self defence before moving to Holmfirth.
He said he now plans to have a short break before starting his own gardening business.
But he added: “Even though I’ve finished, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to turn a blind eye to somethings.
“When you have done something for 30 years it’s a hard habit to break. Once a copper always a copper.”
