WHEN Cliff Standen began his career with Hampshire police 44 years ago, England were about to make history by winning the World Cup.

Now he is hoping to mark his retirement from Hampshire’s thin blue line by watching Fabio Capello’s side do it all over again.

Cliff, now a 71-year-old grandfather, can still remember the excitement building in his first days on the job.

The Eastleigh dad-of-three said: “I always watch when England play and want them to do well. It would be fantastic to see the team do it again, I’m looking forward to it starting again.”

He worked as a constable for 28 years before retiring and becoming a civilian staff member working as an inquiry officer at Eastleigh police station.

He said: “I have loved my time here and been very proud. When I started I was a village bobby and I loved it, it was just like Heartbeat.”

In his early years, policemen didn’t have radios and had to check in with the stations using the public telephone boxes.

The most vivid memories of his time on the force including resuscitating a man who had nearly drowned, disarming two spurned lovers one carrying a carving knife, the other a sledgehammer and confronting about 80 youths in the centre of Fair Oak and arresting seven of them single-handed.

The chief constable gave him letters of commendation to mark these acts of heroism.

He added: “Things move on and so does life, we got faster cars and so did the villains and technology moved on.

“I meet lots of characters and a few a little bit like that guy from Ashes to Ashes, Gene Hunt but I don’t think they would like the comparison.

“Hampshire Constabulary has been a very good family to me.”