A top police officer is leading a campaign to change the name of his police patch.

Chief Superintendent Grah-am Sunderland wants the 'Keighley division' - in existence since 1853 - to become the 'Airedale division'.

He argues that the alternative name best reflects the jurisdiction of the community it covers.

In policing terms, Keighley is no longer confined to the old Keighley borough area but includes Shipley, Ilkley, Bingley, Baildon, Silsden and Haworth.

He has won the backing of the fledgling Keighley Town Council which was established last March.

He hopes to have the name change in place by April and will be taking his recommendation to the West Yorkshire Police command team shortly.

Chief Supt Sunderland said: "The present name gives a completely wrong impression - 'Airedale' better identifies the area we cover.

"Geographically, the Keigh-ley area is the biggest of the three Bradford divisions."

The headquarters would continue to remain in Keighley but the division would be split into the four major locations of Airedale Keighley, Airedale Shipley, Airedale Ilkley and Airedale Bingley.

Councillor Graham Mitchell, chairman of Keighley Town Council watch committee, which makes recommendations about policing, said the committee recommended approval of the plan to the full Council.

He said the name change could even lead to more res-ources being channelled to the wider Keighley policing area.

There would be other beneficial results in that at present crime figures - which refer to 'Keighley' - give the impression they are solely applicable to the town, rather than the district as a whole.

"In fact these figure are generated from a very much wider divisional area," he said.

He stressed that the plan was not about reorganising the police division and Keighley losing its identity, because the division would continue to be run from the town.