INVERCLYDE’S new police commander today pledged to crackdown on violence and knife crime by using stop and search powers more readily.

In an exclusive interview with the Telegraph, Elliot Brown told how he is targeting four ‘key areas’ of concern which have been identified through a consultation with local people.

Chief Inspector Brown — who officially took up his new post a week ago — acknowledged the 60 per cent reduction in offensive weapon crime in the district since the launch of the ‘No Knives Better Lives’ initiative in 2009.

But he is committed to ensuring that the dramatic downward trend continues, and today promised increased visibility of officers ‘on the beat’ within local communities.

Ch Insp Brown said: “Violent crime is the big issue.

“We have had a lot of consultation with the local communities across the six council ward areas here and each one came out with the same top four priorities — drug dealing and drug misuse, violence and anti-social behaviour, dishonesty, and road safety/road crime. For me, violent crime, robbery, sexual crime, domestic crime are the critical areas for us.” He added that there is ‘no doubt’ that Inverclyde is a safer place following the first full year of the nationwide Police Scotland service.

Chief Inspector Brown, 43 — who previously led the former Strathclyde firearms unit — said: “We have reduced the victims of violent crime considerably over the last year and we’ve impacted significantly on other violent crime, such as robbery. Local people want to see the police, they want to see us out, they want to see us doing the job and doing the right things.

“A big part of my push this year is around that visibility and making sure that we have got additional officers in the town centre and the key areas around the district.

“My message to the local community is that you will see police officers.

“On the violence agenda, I’m encouraging my officers to practically use stop/search.

“This will be normal business for us — just basically good, ongoing, daily, vigilant policing.” The chief inspector — who began his policing career with the Metropolitan force in London in 1990 — said that he has been impressed with the positivity of everyone he has met in his new role.

He said: “I’m really enjoying it. There is a real sense of ownership and pride in the area, which is fantastic.

“It makes my job easier in terms of having joined a team — including the council and other agencies — that is very focused and they know what they want to achieve.

“And we see that in the way that the profile of the area has come up — the amount of change, regeneration, investment in Inverclyde has been dramatic.” The chief inspector — who moved to Hampshire Constabularly in 2002 as a sergeant before returning to Scotland in 2009 as an inspector — warned that motorists who regularly flout the law and risk causing accidents will be rigorously dealt with under his regime.

He declared: “Road safety is another priority. If you’re speeding, if you’re on your mobile phone, or not wearing your seatbelt you are going to be stopped.

“We will be stopping people in the mornings and late at night and we will be breathalysing people.

“People can expect to see yellow jackets out there doing that.” The chief inspector has two community policing inspectors, five response inspectors and a detective inspector within his Inverclyde leadership team.

He said: “There’s a lot going on so it’s incumbent on us to keep people safe.

“We want this area to continue being a place that that people want to come and visit in increasing numbers.

“We’ve got the cruise ships coming in again and we want to make sure that people’s first experience of Scotland, as it will be for a lot of people, is a positive one and that they enjoy coming into Inverclyde.

“We’ve also got the Queen’s Baton Relay and the Commonwealth flotilla coming up, so it’s a big summer in the local area and we are working with partners to make these really enjoyable events for everyone.” Chief Inspector Brown added: “The work here between the police, the local authority and other public sector agencies is very, very good. The Inverclyde team, if you like, is very strong.

“I’m happy and proud to be a part of it.”