Rotherham's new top cop reveals his priorities

Chief Superintendent Rob Odell is six weeks into his new role as Rotherham's District Commander, having taken over from now acting Assistant Chief Constable Jason Harwin.

He said: “In recent months we have seen high profile court cases result in lengthy prison sentences for criminals involved in child sexual exploitation.

“While this shows real progress, we are certainly not complacent and a lot of hard work is still ongoing.

“I want to continue to see an increase in convictions and an increase in confidence in police.

“From my experience, people are working extremely hard to make Rotherham the best town it can be and it’s really important that we are part of that.

“Tackling child sexual exploitation and protecting vulnerable people are two of our key areas of focus which reflects South Yorkshire Police’s overall priorities.

“But it is really important that communities know that we are committed to tackling all types of crime including anti-social behaviour, burglary and drug dealing.

“I will be working hard to ensure that we use the resources that we have got to the very best effect.

“I became a police officer to make a difference to people’s lives. No day is the same and we continue to look at the way we do things, to make changes to achieve the very best service with the resources available."