REIGATE and Banstead's new police chief says he is "excited" to start work in the area.
Inspector Andy Rundle took over the neighbourhood inspector post from Dan Gutierrez on Monday, who has been filling the role temporarily for the last six months.
Aside from chasing criminals, Insp Rundle's job will be to interact with communities in Redhill, Reigate, Banstead, Merstham and Horley.
Insp Rundle, who has spent the last four years as neighbourhood inspector for Mole Valley, said: "I'm really excited to be coming over to Reigate and Banstead. It's a fantastic team and the team work incredibly well with Reigate [and Banstead Borough] council and, of course, Surrey County Council.
"They are a very proactive team, they do not just react to crime. I see a lot of professionalism and dedication to the communities. They are right in the communities, targeting people who commit crime and targeting offenders who have an impact."
Before Insp Rundle took up his former role in Mole Valley, he worked on the Olympic planning team, developing operational plans for the 2012 Games.
When asked about his ideas for the Reigate and Banstead borough, he said: "My immediate priorities are to get to know the area, to get to know the issues and concerns, to work within the communities, and address the issues that mean the most to them.
"I would like to see overall crime fall and I would like to see incidents of antisocial behaviour fall. It's a tiny minority of people who commit crime but they have a big effect on the community."
He added: "We are public servants, we are here to please the community and we are only successful because the community try to report crime."
One of the most recent issues affecting Surrey Police is how it deals with domestic abuse. It follows a report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary released in March which raised concerns over how the force currently handles domestic abuse cases.
Insp Rundle said: "As a force we have had a big push. The message is very clear: we want people to report domestic abuse. We will take positive action against people who abuse their partners. There's a lot of tactics that we can use to support people of domestic abuse. It's a force priority and it will continue to be a local priority in Reigate and Banstead."
Outgoing neighbourhood inspector Dan Gutierrez said: "I have absolutely loved it.
"I was born in the area, I grew up in the area and the opportunity to lead the policing team for Reigate and Banstead over the past six months has been extremely rewarding for me both personally and professionally.
"For me, it's broadened my view of policing and it's broadened my understanding of leading a large team of police officers and police staff."
