The new police inspector at Largs, Joe Conway, is preparing for an extended period in command at the School Street police headquarters.

Having served the police force for 31 and a half years, Joe’s highest profile role came as a young officer during the Lockerbie disaster.

Joe, pictured, recalls: “I was called out at 4am on the night it happened. I was part of the support unit and posted there for the whole week.

"I was involved in recovery of possessions and looking after bodies. There are some images which were very striking to me - for example, the crater I was standing by for a period of time. The thing I remember most is the kindness of the people. You go to a small town and see a small town pulling together, bringing you cups of tea, and keeping you warm, and local schools opened up to help us.

“As a young cop, it was a great experience of how different forces could work together.” Joe was one of the first officers in the newly formed Air Support Unit, covering the whole of Strathclyde by helicopter from 1989, and was promoted to sergeant in Port Glasgow in 1993.

He returned to air support as a sergeant for another five years from 1995.

Joe explained: “We were involved in anything - we were basically a police car that could fly. The pilot was ex-military, and the helicopter was leased. We were one of the first police forces in the UK to use heat sensors and infrared equipment from the sky.

“We could get people to places where they normally can’t get; the same goes for equipment and even police dogs. We could search one square mile of a field in approximately 12 minutes, and that would approximately take 740 man hours - and with the same amount of success. With infrared we could search at night, and if someone was giving off a heat signal, we could find them.” Joe said proudly: “There were 20 people who would not be alive today if it wasn’t for the helicopter heat sensor equipment - that was how we found them, and that is by far the best use of the helicopter. We could also chase and catch house breakers, we did so in an Ayrshire town not far away from here.

“We also found that it was a safe way of following a vehicle, as a driver drives more recklessly if followed by police on the road. But he is possibly unaware that there is helicopter overhead, which could be flying at 100mph, depending on wind speed.” Afterwards, Joe went on to be custody officer in Cathcart, in charge of care and welfare of prisoners, and later transferred to community policing in Govan, and over the tenure, targeted various problems identified by the community.

He was then promoted to Inspector in Ayrshire division in Irvine, where Joe has been for the past five years.

“We have had some terrific inspectors at Largs who haven’t stayed for all that long, but I intend to be here for three years,” said Joe, “I have 31 and a half years service, and community policing is what I do and thoroughly enjoy it. I look forward to carrying on the good work that has been started up here by my predecessors.” Joe, 51, lives in Newton Mearns with his partner, and has two grown up daughters, including one who is expecting a baby.

The grandfather-to-be said: “I am delighted to be inspector at Largs.. My father worked in the railways, and we regularly came to Largs, and I have since come back with my own family many times to Nardini’s, and The Green Shutters. I remember travelling over to Millport on the Keppel.

The area has played a big part in my own memories, so it is really great to be here.”