Former Oamaru police sergeant Derek Beveridge has been appointed co-ordinator of Project Turnaround - the Waitaki district's restorative justice programme.
Mr Beveridge (61), who retired in January after 42 years in the police force, replaced Ken Aldworth, who moved to Wellington.
Mr Beveridge is the fourth ex-police officer to head the programme, which is for adult offenders, since it was established in 2001.
Waitaki Safer Community Trust chairwoman Elizabeth McCone described Mr Beveridge's
appointment as ‘‘marvellous''.
‘‘He knows the system backwards and he's very much in favour of restorative justice,'' she said.
The trust is the only one in New Zealand to handle all police diversion in the district.
