THIS is the new face in charge of keeping the residents of Redditch safe.
Insp Rebecca Love has been appointed as the borough’s district inspector, taking over from Ian Joseph who retired after seven years in the post and more than 30 years of service.
She began her new role on Monday (August 4) having joined from the South Worcestershire team but is no stranger to Redditch. In 2001 she was patrolling the beat as PC Rebecca Handy and later became a
local policing officer for Southcrest and Smallwood.
During her time in the borough she was instrumental in setting up the first Partners and Communities Together (PACT) meeting in West Mercia in Smallwood which was seen as the blueprint for rolling out further meetings across the force area and elsewhere. It won her the Andrew Grant Community Trophy in 2007 and the British Association for Women Police Community Officer Award.
And it is that experience and commitment to local policing which Insp Love plans to draw on going forward.
“Working in the Safer Neighbourhood team previously I’ve always found it’s something I love and I’m enthusiastic about because of the ability to work with the community and partner agencies and have a real impact on the quality of people’s lives” she told the Standard.
“I’m very privileged and honoured to be asked to return.”
As well as continuing to drive down crime Insp Love said she wanted to build on the links already created with other organisations and ensure residents had confidence in the police.
“There’s a lot more to tackling crime than just the police’s role around locking people up. Partners are critical in preventing crime.” she added.
“My aim is to be visible within the community and ensure they are confident we are delivering a high standard of policing. The standard of policing Ian left was very high and I want to continue to deliver that.
“It’s always nice to hear the views of the public about what matters to them and how we can improve their quality of life and standard of living in their neighbourhoods. I’ll be taking the opportunity over the coming weeks and months to get out and about and meet as many people as I can.”
Supt Kevin Purcell, North Worcestershire Commander, said: “At a time when we are ensuring that every pound we have is spent wisely to ensure Redditch remains a safe, well policed town, I am delighted an officer of such a high calibre takes on this challenging role.”
