KEIGHLEY MP John Grogan is in the forefront of local crime-fighting after meetings with volunteer crimebusters and the area’s top cop.

Mr Grogan welcomed Neighbourhood Policing Team inspector Khalid Khan last week as the first visitor to his new office in Keighley Civic Centre.

Then he joined Insp Khan at a special meeting of Silsden Neighbourhood Watch to discuss solutions to residents’ crime concerns.

In the Civic Centre the pair discussed policing across the Keighley area and thrashed out issues such as drugs, anti-social behaviour, bad driving and speeding.

Mr Grogan said: “The expansion in the numbers of Police Community Support Officers should give Keighley police more eyes and ears on the ground in the fight against these crimes.

“In Keighley, under the excellent leadership of Inspector Khan, for the first time in a decade we are seeing increasing police numbers in the area.

“This is partly because George Osborne in his final budget in 2015 bowed to pressure from Parliament and halted police cuts.

"Neighbourhood policing is making a comeback in the constituency with each ward, including Craven which includes Silsden, in line to have an assigned police constable and at least one Police Community Support Officer.

“In the Keighley town wards with higher crime rates numbers of PCSOs are increasing to five in Keighley Central and three in West and East.”

Mr Grogan said the Neighbourhood Watch meeting in Silsden was a positive and constructive event.

He said: “A spate of recent vehicle crime was on many people's minds.

“I think the general feeling was that the neighbourhood watch volunteers wanted to work closely with the police to make sure that Silsden continued to have a relatively low overall crime rate.

“Neighbourhood Watch works. A national study by the Institute of Policing showed where it exists there is a reduction of.crime of between 16 per cent and 26 per cent.”

In tweets this week Insp Khan wrote that both he and Mr Grogan were “passionate about making a difference” in Keighley.

He added: “Thank you to all residents who attended the special police forum in Silsden. Your support was very much appreciated.”

A spokesman for Silsden Neighbourhood Watch group said the meeting had a brilliant turn out of more than 50 Silsden residents.

Silsden Town Council is also involved in the initiative, and another public meeting is likely to be held in September.