Community partnerships and raising the national profile of Bradford are two of the goals set by the city's newest police chief.

Superintendent Phil Read, who has just taken over as divisional commander of Toller Lane police, says he is looking forward to building on recent achievements.

And he has encouraged members of the community to help improve the image of the area, and raise the profile of the district as a whole, by shouting about its successes.

Supt Read said: "A lot of excellent work involving the police, local authority, local organisations and members of the community has already taken place and we are now able to build on those sound foundations.

"But maybe its the nature of Bradfordians that we don't shout about it too much. We mustn't get complacent, but we can all help raise the city's profile just by flagging up these achievements."

Supt Read, 41, was born in Bradford and still lives in the city. A former pupil of Belle Vue Boys School, he joined the police as a cadet before becoming a PC at Bradford Central in 1976.

Since then he has climbed the ranks, working in uniformed and detective roles at Toller Lane, Pudsey, Odsal, Dudley Hill and Keighley.

His previous post was as a Superintendent in the West Yorkshire Police Discipline and Complaints Department. He succeeds Superintendent John Crosse.

Supt Read said: "I've always worked in Bradford and I am proud of the city. There is no doubt that we have got a diverse community in Toller Lane, which makes for a challenging and rewarding policing environment.

"I'm going to try to get out and about in the community as much as possible. I don't want to be deskbound. I have arrived at a division where there is a lot of energy and some dynamic things being done. I really want to move forward with that.

"In the Toller Lane division, as with the rest of the city, we've managed to reduce crime - particularly drug-related offences.

"By continuing to be proactive, and working in partnership we can drive those figures down even further."

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