A FORMER policeman has been drafted in to tackle crime hot spots in Droitwich Spa.

Wychavon District Council has appointed Alan Paul as the new community safety co-ordinator.

With 30 year's service in the police force under his belt, tackling crime is second nature.

And he plans to draw on his experiences to make the Spa an even safer town to live and work.

The married father-of-five has moved from Peterborough to take up the post.

He was born in Grimsby and grew up on farms his father managed.

Alan was not drawn to the agricultural industry and after a spell in engineering he joined the police.

Straight from training, the naive 22-year-old was placed in the vice squad which gave him an eye-opening introduction to his new career.

He worked in a variety of departments but found his forte in the divisional crime prevention office.

He said: "I realised I gained the most satisfaction when working within a community.

"I've always looked beyond locking an offender up and throwing away the key.

"I wanted to know why people break laws so I could attempt to solve long-term problems."

Alan decided that working with other organisations was one way of combating crime and he launched a number of successful multi-agency groups tackling issues including drug abuse, street crime and racism.

He retired in 1999 and became a civilian community safety officer in Peterborough, until scooping his new job with the authority.

Alan will work with residents, councillors and local organisations, including parish councils to confront town crime problems.

The role of community safety co-ordinator was born out of the community partnership set up to deal with district-wide crime.

Members include Wychavon District Council, Worcestershire County Council and West Mercia Constabulary.

One of Alan's first tasks will be to undertake a crime audit of the district.

During the first month of his role, the 54-year-old, has been busy visiting towns in his patch and meeting linchpins in the community.

He believes a strong community means a safe community and plans to support town groups by sharing his knowledge in crime prevention.

He said: "I want to reduce people's fear of crime.

"Crime and disorder will not go away but we can work to improve the quality of life for residents.

"Problems can be discussed and tackled together; I think this gives people confidence.

"If people don't talk a community fragments and residents become isolated -- this is when they become vulnerable.

"Droitwich is a relatively low crime area but if, for example, 70 houses are burgled each year, that's 70 victims too many."

He added: "I have a vision to give Wychavon a reputation residents can be proud of.

"I want the district to be known as a safe place to live, where people are not frightened to go out after dark.

"It's possible, if we all work together."