Fife's chief constable has announced he plans to retire after 35 years in the service.

Peter Wilson, who has been chief constable of the force since April 2001, will stand down in May.

As president of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos) between July 2005 and June 2006, Mr Wilson became one of the most prominent officers in the country.

During the policing of the G8 Summit at Gleneagles in July 2005 he was in charge of the Scottish Police Information Centre and shared the burden of handling the international media.

He began his career with Edinburgh City Police in 1973 and spent much of his service in the CID.

In his letter to the clerk to the police authority, notifying them of his retirement, Mr Wilson said: "I have enjoyed an immensely satisfying career, but recognised the time to look forward was right with a new police authority having settled in after the elections last May, and a new budget cycle about to begin.

"There is much still to be done during my remaining months in office, and I look forward to continuing that work with my customary energy while the Authority begin the process of selecting my successor."

Mr Wilson has attended training courses in Germany and at the FBI Academy in the US. He completed his diploma in Applied Criminology at Cambridge University in 1996, where he took a particular interest in problem orientated policing.