A new bobby will be out on the beat in Breckland next month, after being appointed its Chief Inspector.

Lynne Cross, who has spent the past two and a half years policing in Norwich, takes on the role tomorrow, Monday August 13.

It comes following the departure of Chief Insp Paul Wheatley , who is moving on from the Breckland team to work as a control room Chief Inspector at Norfolk Constabulary's Wymondham headquarters.

Chief Insp Cross, who lives in Attleborough and has previously worked in areas including Dereham, said she was looking forward to 'coming home'.

'I'm a local person, I live in the area and I understand what some of the issues are.

'I was a young officer in Thetford many, many moons ago and I'm really, really looking forward to coming home. That's how it feels coming back to Thetford.'

No stranger to hard work, Chief Insp Cross shared the tools she will be bringing from her previous position in Norwich.

'I covered Norwich Airport, protests, large events, day-to-day running of resources and things like that.

'Anything that came up in terms of any major enquiries too.'

Keen to get involved with local issues, she said she would be taking time getting to understand the community's needs, adding: 'I'm really looking to give some focus to all of what is going on and understanding what policing looks like in the district

'I will definitely be using some of my time to find my feet but already it's quite clear that rural crime is a big thing for the district.

'I will also be trying to get to grips and get a clear understand of what anti-social behaviour looks like here.

'It's good to get into what the key issues are.'

She will be based in Thetford but will be covering the entire Breckland policing area.

She added: 'I'm taking over from someone who has some really big shoes to fill.'

She urged the public to get in touch with her team if they had any concerns.

'If people have got things they want to feedback to us, then I have a really good team of people.

'I would always welcome anyone to make contact and raise any concerns that they have.

'The key for me is getting to know partners and develop these relationships.

'There's often not some single policing solution, it's about coming together and working as a partnership to tackle these issues.

'Working together with partners we can do some really great things in the future.'

- You can contact the team on 101 or find out more on the Norfolk police website at www.norfolk.police.uk/your-area and choosing which area you need. Or you can contact the Safer Neighbourhood Team by emailing sntthetford@norfolk.pnn.police.uk.