THERE’S a new police chief in town.

The East Ayrshire division of Police Scotland have this week appointed a brand new Area Commander after appointing Chief Inspector Linda Jones.

Chief Inspector Jones was born in Kilmarnock, lives locally and has expressed her delight at being named the new Area Commander due to her local connections.

Having served with the police for 23 years she brings with her a wealth of experience from previous roles including frontline policing, Media Services and Crime Management. She has worked across Ayrshire in a variety of roles at Cumnock, Ayr, Saltcoats and Irvine as well as spending a short period in Glasgow.

Speaking about her new role, Chief Inspector Jones commented: “I’m delighted to have been appointed as Area Commander for East Ayrshire and look forward to building on the work undertaken by my predecessor.

“I am looking forward to working with local officers, our partners and local communities to identify any issues of concern and work together to tackle them.

”A partnership approach is always more effective and by working together we can tackle the root causes of crime, achieve better outcomes for local people and ultimately keep people safe.” She added: “I have a great team of officers and police staff in East Ayrshire and I look forward to supporting them in tackling the issues of concern locally with our main focus being on the local priorities which include violence, drug misuse, antisocial behaviour and road safety.

“We have a number of policing plans already in place and we will be providing regular updates on our activities through our social media accounts, in the local press and meetings we attend including the local Community Councils.

“I am committed to keeping people and communities safe by tackling crime and the fear it creates. I will continue to deliver a service to the East Ayrshire community and would encourage anyone with any concerns to contact us, speak with local officers and work with us to make the area a safe place to live, work and visit.”