THE district's new top cop has said he will bring a winning combination of local knowledge and experience to the job.

District Commander Chief Inspector Alan Ray told the Guardian: “I'm as local as you can get. There's no-one with more experience of this district of my rank and no-one with more local knowledge.

“Either they like me or I like it, but I do keep coming back. I've been here as temporary Chief Inspector twice, and Inspector once, I've worked here as a Sergeant and a PC. The continuity is there.

“It's quite comforting because I know everybody. I know the area, and I know a lot of key individuals in the district.”

Born in north London, Mr Ray, 42, joined the police force in 1993 and has lived and worked in and around Essex all his life. He currently lives with his partner and child in Chelmsford.

The last District Commander, Jonathan Baldwin, was removed from his post and is currently due at Ipswich Crown Court, charged with three counts of fraud.

Continuity among senior police officers has been an issue in the Epping Forest District which has seen five district commanders in two years.

Mr Ray said: “You want to get away from senior officers moving on, but officers get promoted because of the nature of the business. I elected to stay here and I have no plans to move on.”

He said the district presented a number of specific challenges adding: “I've spent a lot of time impressing on my officers how unique it is.

“It's the only district in Essex with tube stations and the only one with no green fields between it and London, but you don't have to go far and it changes to rural affluence and large farms. It's got the M11 and M25, it's got everything.

“There's a lot of cross-border criminality. A lot of our efforts are around burglaries and preventing burglars having an easy ride in Essex. We can't stop all crime, but it's our job to make this district a less enticing place for criminals.”

Mr Ray said he would place a new emphasis on localised policing and would bring extra officers into the district with a dedicated Neighbourhood Specialist Officer for each ward.

“The district doesn't need new ideas because there are plenty of ideas working well,” he said. “What it does need is constant dedication from the teams of police officers and that's what I'm bringing.”