Safety of women and girls at heart of West Yorkshire crime plan

The plan includes a promise of more officers and police staff

West Yorkshire's first elected mayor has said her inaugural crime plan is a "once in a generation opportunity" to deliver improvements.

Tracy Brabin said the safety of women and girls and increasing police numbers were her main priorities.

The three-year plan sets a strategic direction for West Yorkshire Police and how it works with other agencies.

The county's Chief Constable said the proposals provided a "great framework" for reducing crime and disorder.

Developed following a public consultation held between September and November last year, Ms Brabin said she knew the plan had the support of residents and reflected their priorities.

"I see this as a once in a generation opportunity to focus our efforts on the issues which matter most to our communities," she said.

Ms Brabin, who was elected in May last year, said the county was home to over 1.2 million women and girls and, as the first elected female metro mayor, their safety was "at the heart of my work across policing, crime, community safety, and criminal justice".

She said there would also be an additional 252 front-line police officers and staff by April this year, and a total increase of 750 front-line officers and staff by May 2024.

Ms Brabin said prioritising women's safety was at the heart of her work

The plan outlines the improvements the mayor wants to see over the next three years.

These include:

• Better support for victims and witnesses

• Protecting people from exploitation and abuse

• Ensuring officers represent the communities they serve

• Tackling issues such as road safety and anti-social behaviour

Deputy mayor for policing and crime Alison Lowe said it showed a "clear determination" to tackle people's concerns about crime and their safety.

"We believe if you improve services and outcomes for women and girls, you by default improve services and outcomes for all victims and create a fairer and more just criminal justice system for all," she said.

John Robins, Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, welcomed the "depth and breadth" of the strategy, which he said was "challenging, but achievable".

Mr Robins said safety for women and girls was "rightly at the centre" of the plans.

Follow BBC Yorkshire on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail] or send video here.