A team dedicated to robbery has been set up in Bradford following a high-profile conviction.

Based at the Trafalgar House headquarters of Bradford South Police, the team is the brainchild of Detective Inspector Ian Bryar. It is intended to reassure to communities and increase public confidence.

Its creation follows the case of Matthew Judson, who was jailed earlier this month for robbing three Bradford University students by holding a knife to the throat of one of them.

The case led Det Insp Bryar to put together a team of CID officers to concentrate their efforts on robbery.

He said: “We want to put a specific focus on robbery, looking at how we address it, and any ways we can build on that to improve. We will be looking at methods of detection and prevention.”

He stressed that the eight-strong team – which will target all types of robbery from street muggings to house robbery and crimes on business premises – had been created to provide the public with reassurance and confidence, and that in terms of the number and type of robberies committed, Bradford is no different to any city of similar size in the country.