The new Divisional Commander for Airedale and North Bradford Police has pledged to keep improving standards.

Chief Superintendent Ian Kennedy, who has replaced retiring Allan Doherty, said he wanted to keep crime falling and help officers to deliver policing standards residents can be proud of.

Chief Supt Kennedy, who joined West Yorkshire Police in 2004, has spent most of his career in criminal investigation roles and has worked in the counter-terrorism and Professional Standards units.

He has already been out and about in communities to see them for himself, and said: “The important thing for me is to find out more about the area and the communities that we police.

“I look forward to meeting partners to ensure we work together and that my staff are delivering a quality of service and standard of investigation that we can all be proud of.

“Crime has been falling in Airedale and North Bradford and that good work is something we now need to build on.”

He said he was keen to build on initiatives from the last 12 months, including work to tackle serious violent crime in Keighley and the expansion of the Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system across the Bradford District.

Chief Supt Kennedy said: “Systems such as ANPR can have a significant impact in improving safety and making life difficult for offenders and are excellent tools for police officers.

“I intend to carry on work to further embed Neighbourhood Policing Teams into communities to ensure we are delivering a truly local police service for our residents. A lot of good work has been carried out.”