FALKLANDS war veteran Chief Superintendent Andy Holt has taken over as the new Divisional Commander of Bury Police.

In 1982, the father-of-three was a Lieutenant and Second-in Command of 45 Commando, the Royal Marines, which helped liberate the Falkland Islands from the Argentine invaders.

He spent a further four years with the elite corps before swapping his career to join Greater Manchester Police.

Twenty years on, as the boss of Bury Police, the 43-year-old will now lead the taskforce of men and women in the fight against crime.

"I am very excited about coming to Bury and I see it as an opportunity to continue the excellent work of my predecessor, Phil Hollowood, to make the borough a pleasant and safe place to live and work."

Born in Yorkshire, Chief Supt Holt was brought up in Oxford and joined the Royal Marines 12 months before the Falklands conflict. During the war he saw action at Two Sisters and Port San Carlos.

He joined Greater Manchester Police Force in 1986 and worked as a PC in Stockport. In 1989 he was promoted to sergeant and two years later he rose to the rank of inspector. His next promotion to chief inspector took place in 1999 and in 2001 he became a superintendent.

Married to former Tottington South County Primary School teacher Sylvia, they have three children, twin daughters and an 11-year-old boy, and live in Cheadle Hulme.

His hobbies include playing and watching cricket and sailing. He is also a lieutenant colonel with the Royal Marine Reserves, based in Merseyside.

His arrival in Bury marks his new promotion as a chief superintendent.

He said: "I have spent all of my police career working in the South of Manchester so this is the first time I have worked in the north. I am very much an operations officer and I will use my knowledge and experience to the benefit of the police and the community in Bury."

His predecessor, Ch Supt Hollowood, has now taken up the role of divisional commander at South Manchester.