North Yorkshire Police launches Major Crime Unit

The force said the unit was a "significant boost" to its capability to deal with major crime

A new dedicated police unit handling crimes such as rape and kidnap and reviewing "cold cases" has been launched in North Yorkshire.

The Major Crime Unit (MCU) will see 31 staff working from a major incident room in Harrogate.

Chief Constable Dave Jones said it would "greatly improve" investigations of the most serious crimes.

The £300,000 unit will mean investigations would have "little impact on local policing," he added.

Det Supt Dai Malyn, head of the MCU, said it was a first for North Yorkshire Police and would allow the force to "quickly mobilise and deploy a dedicated investigative resource to an incident".

The unit has also been backed by Julia Mulligan, North Yorkshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, who said it was a "significant boost" to the force's capability to deal with serious crimes.