A POLICEMAN who grew up in and trod the beat in Barry wants your help in ensuring the Vale is the safest place for all.

Barry boy, Mark Hobrough began his new role as chief inspector operations for Barry, Penarth and the Vale of Glamorgan on Monday, October 6 – returning to oversee the area and station where his career began around 20 years ago.

The dad-of-three was the lead security co-ordinator for the South Wales Police Nato dinner venues at Cardiff Castle, the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama and the Warships based in Cardiff Bay, last month.

He said: “I’m really excited about my new role. Having grown up in Barry and always lived in the area, I now reside locally with my wife and three children and am extremely passionate about Barry, Penarth and the Vale and genuinely care greatly about the people in the community and the safety of everyone here. I’m really proud to come from this area which is a lovely part of the country to live and work in.

It’s my job to make sure each and every person here feels safe and confident in the police that serve you and it’s a role that I will be very dedicated to.”

“I want your local police and police community support officers to be approachable and knowledgeable at dealing with anything where the police can help and I intend to ensure this happens.

“I want to reduce crime and the fear of crime through empowerment to the public in reporting incidents, support from the police and other partner agencies and providing appropriate police presence where and when it is really needed.

“I intend to make Barry, Penarth and the Vale the best, safest place it can possibly be through implementing new ideas and working directly with the public towards the same aims.

“I want everyone to remember that the public are the police and the police are the public and together we can achieve great things.’’

Mark joined South Wales Police in 1995 and was first posted to Barry where he worked as a uniformed response officer and a detective constable as well as a neighbourhood officer in Gibbonsdown, Barry.

He stayed in the division for his first nine years also working in Cowbridge and Penarth for periods and getting promoted to sergeant before leaving to become an inspector in Bridgend in 2004.

Since leaving the Division he became the officer responsible for South Wales Police Dog Section, Mounted Section and Specialist Search and Recovery Team.

Nato presented another opportunity.

He said: “It was a very challenging role as with all of the high profile world leaders in one place it was the biggest security operation that has ever been effected in the UK. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and am very pleased with how it ran. The public really embraced this unique and exciting event which obviously included the first ever visit of a US president to Wales, and this was great to see. The many police involved from South Wales and from around the UK worked together so positively to make it a truly special event for Wales.

“I am now really looking forward to bringing experience, local knowledge, care and passion to Barry, Penarth and the Vale of Glamorgan.”