Police commander outlines top goals

The new police commander of York and Selby District has outlined some of his goals.

Superintendent Mark Khan, the most senior North Yorkshire Police officer in the district, makes decisions that affect how policing is delivered for hundreds of thousands of people.

On taking up his post last week, he said that although the area is deemed one of the safest in the country, the force should not complacent.

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“We deal with thousands of serious crimes a year in York and Selby,” said Supt Khan.

“That means thousands of victims, thousands of lives affected by crime.

“I’ve been a police officer for almost 30 years – I know that the moment the police stop trying to improve and evolve would be the moment criminals gained the upper hand.

“There’s always scope for progress, no matter how effectively things have been done in the past.”

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He said his top three goals are - ensuring public spaces are kept safe for all, day and night; tackling the harm drugs and alcohol do to the communities; keeping roads safe.

“Let me be very clear – these are by no means our only priorities and we won’t fixate on these at the expense of the many other issues we deal with,” added Supt Khan.

“But I’m fully aware they’re big challenges. We’re setting the bar high.

“These sort of goals need a clear plan. So we’re going to focus on maintaining high investigative standards to ensure we put together robust cases that bring people to justice.

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“What’s more, we’re not just going to respond to crime. We’re going to respond and then aim to fix the problem, to prevent us dealing with the same issues over and over again. Prevention and early intervention is key.

“And to solve problems we need to share skills. We’ll share them with other organisations and ensure we recruit and retain people who understand the issues we’re trying to address, represent the communities we serve and have the skills and determination to make positive changes.”

He called on residents in the district to support the police work.

“Without public support it would be impossible for us to police,” he added.

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“Without the information supplied by the public, we’d be working in the dark.

“So if you have concerns or information about any offences in York & Selby District, from antisocial behaviour to drink driving to drug dealing, share it with us by calling 101 and selecting option 1.

“Every report is taken seriously and it helps us build our policing response.”