Challenge for Chief Superintendent
Lanarkshire has a new divisional police commander – with Chief Superintendent Alan Waddell having taken up the post as the county’s top cop.
The 42-year-old started his role at the head of Q Division earlier this month, and is now at the helm of the second-largest division in Police Scotland.
It covers a population of more than 630,000 people spread over 896 square miles, with officers in the four area commands attending, on average, more than 4000 incidents a week.
He told the News: “I’ve been really fortunate to be chosen to come to Lanarkshire division and I’m really pleased to be here.
“I’m coming to a good division and I’ve already seen that my officers are making a real difference out in communities – people speak really highly of Lanarkshire and my predecessor, Roddy Irvine, has left a whole host of really good work in this area.
“Lanarkshire is an accurate reflection of Scotland as a whole. It’s got big industry, urban challenges, rural communities; it’s an ambitious area in terms of employment and progress, it’s had the attraction of the recent European championships and has two Premiership football clubs – so there’s a really interesting blend of policing challenges across the division.”
Chief Superintendent Waddell has been a police officer for almost 22 years, originally joining Central Scotland Police – in what is now the Forth Valley division – and worked in a variety of roles, including CID, road policing and emergency planning, going on to become area commander for Falkirk.
He was then promoted to Superintendent and worked in a series of corporate roles, including heading up governance, organisational development and most recently working on the force’s local approaches to policing project.
Now he is addressing Lanarkshire division’s identified priorities of counter-terrorism and addressing serious violent crime and public protection, serious organised crime and drugs, anti-social behaviour and hate crime, road safety, acquisitive crime, public confidence and local engagement.
He said: “These were arrived at via public consultation and represent the issues communities have told us matter most to them, so they’re also the issues that matter most to me.
“They all apply in different ways in different parts of the community; there will be some areas where violent crime might be really prevalent, others where it might be road safety.
“Lanarkshire has an interesting blend of urban and rural, so perhaps violence isn’t as prevalent in our rural communities but other crimes there can have a significant impact, and it’s recognising that the policing response needs to be appropriate.
“It’s about focusing on the right areas across the division, not in a one-size-fits-all way. Police Scotland is really trying to push out local approaches to policing, giving people like me as commander the autonomy to see what’s happening and what’s the right way to deal with it.
“You work with your area commanders, their teams, local authorities and partners, but solve any issues you’re seeing emerging in the right way; I think there are chances to be innovative in how we go about things and I’m passionate about providing that local service.”
Chief Superintendent Waddell added: “It’s clear that across Lanarkshire, local practices are in play to make sure that the right response and service are being given to the public, and that’s something I’m really keen to work on.
“I’ve been round each police stations and I’ve been really impressed – all the officers have been incredibly positive in their commitment to trying to do the right thing locally and their willingness to go that extra mile.
“The job’s all about reducing harm and working with partners to, in simple terms, make it better for people in difficult situations across Lanarkshire. I’ve been really pleased with the feedback I’m getting from other people like elected members, who are really complimentary about our local policing teams.”