TACKLING youth �violence is one of the main priorities of �Redbridge’s new police chief, as she pledges to “lock up the bad guys”.

Borough Commander Det Chief Supt Sue Williams is looking at the possibility of encouraging more schools to install knife arches, and she wants to set up an independent advisory panel made up of young people who will be charged with telling police what is happening in their communities.

The officer, who has moved from her position as deputy �borough commander at Waltham Forest, said: “Redbridge is very different to Waltham Forest.

“Before launching into saying I want to do this and that, I need to see what’s happening here and what doesn’t work.

“Redbridge isn’t a violent �borough but you do get �robberies and gang-type violence, GBH and knife crime.”

Mrs Williams, who has spent many years involved in counter-terrorism policing, said: “There have been cases involving �counter-terrorism in Redbridge.

“I need to see what practices are in place when it comes to extreme violence and how we divert young people away from that.”

Mrs Williams has listed two other priorities as she takes the hot seat at Ilford Police Station, High Road, Ilford. She wants to help be the catalyst for a reduction in crime, and she wants to increase confidence in the police among communities.

A local authority-led strategy assessment, to be finalised in January, will go some way to help her priorities going �forward.

Speaking of her desire to build confidence in policing she said: “I want us to write back to victims of crime to tell them what we’re doing in their case.

“If someone reports antisocial behaviour, I think it will improve confidence if we can use volunteers to ring that person back and tell them how we’ve dealt with that report.”