Shropshire Star

Child exploitation, county lines drug activity and road safety among priorities for new Shropshire police boss

Shropshire's new police chief says crime prevention and early intervention will be her main priorities after taking up the post.

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Superintendant Mo Lansdale

Mo Lansdale has been appointed superintendent in charge of the Shropshire police division, which covers all of the area apart from Telford and Wrekin, including the towns of Shrewsbury, Ludlow, Bridgnorth and Oswestry.

She says one of her priorities would be strengthening ties with organisations such as the health service, schools and the local authority to spot people at risk at an early stage.

This could be simply down to monitoring subtle changes in behaviour.

"I'm very keen to focus on early intervention and prevention where we can, and that means working with our partners to achieve that," she said.

Superintendant Mo Lansdale

"For example, a young person's behaviour may have changed, they might have become quiet, or they might have stopped joining in with things.

"It might just be that they are having a bad day, but it could also be a sign that they are being exploited.

"It's all about noticing these small signs, and helping people."

Another growing concern of recent years has been the rise in 'county lines' drug networks, and Mrs Lansdale says local intelligence is crucial to tackling these offences.

She adds that tackling organised crime is often a long game, and that just because information does not lead to an immediate arrest does not mean it is not being taken seriously.

Important

"Communities are very concerned about county lines, and for me that is all about talking to people and getting support from local communities," she said.

"It's important that we get information. We might not act on it straight away, it might be that what's happening is that we are building up an intelligence dossier.

"If people don't feel they can talk to us, there is the Crimestoppers free number, which is totally confidential. We don't know where that information comes from."

Mrs Lansdale says the "We Don't Buy Crime" campaign has gone a long way to reducing both domestic and commercial burglary. The campaign involves providing free SmartWater to mark possessions, a database of retailers in second-hand goods, and covert operations in hotspot areas. It also includes close working relationships with petrol stations in the area to spot signs of exploitative behaviour.

"We Don't Buy Crime is now spreading across the county, with a number of parishes asking to take part in it," she added.

Superintendant Mo Lansdale

Mrs Lansdale says she is still waiting to hear how many extra officers she will get as a result of the Government's recent pledge to deploy an extra 20,000 across the UK.

But she says she would expect people to see a noticeable difference when the new officers complete their training.

"One of the important areas will be domestic abuse, making sure we are able to respond to all calls in a timely manner, making sure we deal with the offenders and making sure there is the appropriate victim support," she said.

Mrs Lansdale says officers are working closely with secondary schools to tackle child sexual exploitation, with officers going into schools to give presentations.

Road safety was another concern, she adds, with Operation Snap allowing members of the public to record incidents of bad driving on their phones, and upload it to a website.

Commitment

"We will then write to the drivers concerned offering advice," she said.

Mrs Lansdale, 37, grew up in Wellington and has served with the force for 19 years.

She has previously served as a detective chief inspector, and is also a trained hostage negotiator.

Prior to her promotion, Mrs Lansdale served as acting superintendent for 14 months.

"It's not a job, it's what I have always wanted to do, helping other people," she added.

Superintendant Mo Lansdale

"I like to think because I was born and bread in the county I have lived in all my life, I have a real commitment to the area, I have got friends and family who live in the county."

Despite her promotion, she says it is important to still go out on patrol as much as possible.

"I was out on patrol over Christmas, I even made an arrest myself," said Mrs Lansdale.

"I'm trying to make sure I get around all my patrol bases, we do need to know what's going on.

"Our officers are out there 24-7, so it's important that I know what there needs are."