A NEW face can be seen patrolling the streets of St Helens and the man in question is determined to make his mark on the area.

John Vaudrey took over the post of neighbourhood inspector for the town centre just under a fortnight ago following the departure of Inspector Valentine who has now moved into the role of crime reduction manager for St Helens.

The 44 year-old bobby who lives in Eccleston, is married to Susan (44), and has two daughters, Jane (13) and Helen who is nine years-old.

John began his career as a neighbourhood sergeant operating in the South Liverpool area. After many years he was then offered the chance of promotion and as a result came to St Helens where he worked as a response inspector dealing with 999 calls for about a year.

Opportunity

He told the Star: "This is a great opportunity for me to concentrate on defined areas and look for longer term solutions. The previous experience I gained in neighbourhood policing and partnership work will hopefully prove to be very beneficial when it comes to working efficiently in the community.

"I am very much looking forward to working with the local authority, businesses, retail outlets and licensed premises. The main aim is to ensure that St Helens is a safe place to visit, socialise and to go about your daily business whether it be shopping or just having a conversation in the street."