GLASGOW Airport has waved goodbye to a “towering presence” - its top cop Inspector Bob Smith.

Insp Smith walked his final day on the beat on Wednesday, 30 years to the day since he began his career with the police.

For the past four years the 55-year-old has been in charge of making sure tens of thousands of passengers have a safe journey through the city’s airport.

As well as heading up the Glasgow Airport Police Command unit’s staff, he claims to have had a team of 5000 - every worker at the airport.

He said: “Working here has been first class. The best four years.

“In all the time I have been here the airport has been growing. There are more flights, more passengers; it is an unbelievable place to work.

“Following the terror attack in 2007, the main difference has been that people are more alert and more willing to step forward and help by reporting things that don’t seem right.

“Staff are brilliant at it and so I’ve really had a team of 5000.”

Insp Smith, who stands at 6ft 7.5in, has had a variety of roles in his 30 year career, including working on Arran, where he met his wife, being on the beat in Govan, and being part of the Casualty Bureau when the Stockline disaster happened.

The retiring police officer came to Glasgow Airport having worked in Irvine and been Airport Police Commander for Prestwick Airport.

His only regret is not having had the chance to police Edinburgh Airport, an ambition he did not have the opportunity to realise.

Insp Smith said he had always known a career in the police was for him. His uncle and cousin were in the force and he was fascinated by the tales they would tell.

But his path to the police wasn’t straightforward.

He said: “It was always there, the desire to join. I wanted to apply as a cadet at 16 but my folks said ‘What have you got to fall back on?’ An O grade in mathematics and metal work wasn’t going to impress anyone.”

Instead, Insp Smith was apprenticed as a photographer at 15, a job he said helped him gain confidence and the life skills needed for the force.

While he loved the work - and his Applejack Mini company car - the police service still called and, at 25, he signed up as a mature entrant.

And Tulliallan training college lived up to all of his expectations, even the gruelling training and military standards set by his ex-army instructor.

He tells of keeping a spare pillow case to put on his bed in the morning so it was perfectly made up during morning inspections.

Insp Smith also remembers drills on Rice Crispie Hill - where recruits were made to run up and down after breakfast until often they sick.

He said: “I loved the discipline and all that went with it. You had to be able to shave with the crease in your trousers. I still bull my shoes, it’s a habit I can’t break.”

During his time at Glasgow Airport he said seeing the Airbus A380, the world’s largest passenger airliner, land was a real highlight.

Meeting Usain Bolt during the Commonwealth Games was also a special moment.

Insp Smith said: “We are absolutely not allowed to approach celebrities as they come through the airport.

“And I always follow that rule. Or I did until I saw Usain Bolt. He’s the fastest man in the world. Imagine that, of the billions of people on this planet, he’s the fastest.”

Insp Smith made his approach and was delighted when Usain gave him sprinting advice to pass on to his daughter.

But Insp Smith wells up with tears as he thinks of an event last week, following the horrific terrorist attack in Manchester.

He said: “My deputy and I always go for a walk around the terminal. Two separate couples stopped us and said, ‘Thank you so much for your service.’

“That was a very sad highlight.

“For people to thank us when we hadn’t done anything brave, we hadn’t been involved. They just saw the uniform and wanted to thank us for what we do.

“Those are words that will stay with you.”

Amanda McMillan, managing director of Glasgow Airport, said: “Bob has been a hugely valued and extremely popular member of the airport team.

“He has led the Glasgow Airport Police Command unit with both distinction and good grace, ensuring our passengers have always been reassured of their safety as they passed through our doors.

“Quite literally, Bob’s towering presence will be missed by all of his friends at Glasgow Airport and I’m sure I speak for everyone by wishing him a long and happy retirement.”