THE policing team in the north of the district has a new face at the top with the appointment of Inspector Hayley King.

Ms King will head the Safer Neighbourhoods Team in Epping, Ongar and Waltham Abbey, after taking over from Craig Carrington who has moved to a new role in Harlow.

Having served as a member of the CID for the past six years, Ms King comes from an intelligence background and was previously a Detective Sergeant at Harlow.

She said: “I'm moving back to a neighbourhood role which is a complete difference. It's rather a steep learning curve to be honest.

“There's lots and lots of new challenges and lots to learn, but on the whole I've found everyone really supportive. The local community as a whole have had a very positive response to me.”

Ms King, 36, already has a long career with Essex Police which she joined in 1998 as a probationer in Harlow.

In her early career she was based for a time in the Epping Forest District and was one of the first team posted to Loughton in April 2000 when Essex Police took over the area from the Met.

She said: “I know the area exceptionally well, and lived here for seven and a half years.

“It's a huge policing area with lots of rural communities with small conurbations and urban areas in between.

“We have a very, very strong farming community in the area. That's very unique. We also have more policing areas than any other district within the Essex Policing family. We have borders with the Met, with Hertfordshire, with Harlow and out towards Uttlesford as well. We have a lot of crime committed by cross border offenders.

“With my policing background I think I bring something here that's unique to the district. With my detectives background, and my intelligence background I think I look at things slightly differently from the way other neighbourhood policing inspectors might.”

Ms King identified key issues in the area as fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour adding: “A lot of the priorities, although low level, have a high impact on the local communities, and it's dealing with those particular issues that make the public satisfied with what we do.

“There are particular challenges involved in policing this district but we're ready to step up and we're generally doing a good job.”