Cannock police chief warns organised crime needs to be dealt with to stop it becoming a 'big problem'

Sarah Wainwright, who took over as Cannock's local policing commander last month, told the Express & Star the district was 'safe' but that it must get a grip on low-level organised crime and cross-border crime to stop it becoming a bigger issue.

She said: "What me and my team have done is look at the lower level organised crime groups and built on that, starting to do some work with the council in relation to that.

"I do not want to panic people, I say organised crime but really it is not a major problem. There is the up and coming organised gangs and the cross border crime but it is like anything in that if we do not start to get a grip of those then it escalates and next thing we know we have a big problem.

"Crime groups is something we are doing from a force perspective, it is not just us. These groups should be everybody's responsibility, how do we tackle these groups at a lower level?"

Asked about Cannock Chase as a whole, Mrs Wainwright added: "The district is a really safe area. Ok, like any area, there are some problems but there are no major problems and it is a nice place to live, there is a nice community feel, the community is very active. What I want to do is build on that engagement and partnerships and make sure it remains a safe place to live."

With 25 years service in Staffordshire Police, Mrs Wainwright has managed the force's fraud unit, worked in the major investigation department and most recently was responsible for offender management. She is a qualified senior investigating officer meaning she is trained in critical incidents, kidnap and extortion.

Asked about why she took the post in Cannock, taking over from the retiring Geoff Knight, she said: "It was for a complete change from investigative services. What I wanted to do was see how I could do offender management on a more local scale. So we have obviously got a spread of the young offenders through to the sex offenders in every area, how do I make sure I manage them locally and link in with local partners and local services."

Mrs Wainwright took up her new post in July.