A visible and accountable police force for Ilkley has been promised by the town station's new officer-in-charge.

Sergeant Esther Hobbs is just three weeks into the role of permanent sergeant and will work closely with Inspector Angela Williams, who takes up responsibility for the Ilkley area from September 1.

Previously part of a Keighley division Public Reassurance foot patrol team, she knows Wharfedale well and says she is relishing the challenges which lie ahead.

The police have come under fire from some sections of the community, particularly local traders, this year thanks in part to a spate of shop burglaries in the spring.

A decision to brief Ilkley officers at Shipley before and after their shifts was also perceived by some as a "move away" from the town.

Sgt Hobbs says one of her first challenges will be to overturn those opinions - and convince people they have a proactive local force.

She said: "My role is dealing both with matters in the station and operational matters out and about, so I've got to have my fingers on the pulse in both areas.

"I'm always available on a mobile phone or by radio so the station can contact me if anything serious is happening in Ilkley when I'm on patrol.

"That's one of the reasons why it's good to have a supervisor in place here, because I want to be seen and to be known as a point of reference for people.

"I am aware of businesses' concerns about a rise in burglaries and I need to counter that, because our figures show that burglaries, particularly commercial burglaries, in the last two months are down on last year's figures.

"And with domestic burglaries there has been no increase this year. I think what happened is that we had a blip in April or May, where several shops were burgled, and a bad month can colour people's perceptions."

Keen to establish a good working relationship with key organisations in the town, Sgt Hobbs has already met up with 15 local publicans at a PubWatch meeting.

One of her first shifts on the job was a night-time weekend patrol where, despite reports from Ilkley companies like Olicana Stationers who have suffered repeated acts of late-night vandalism, she says she was pleasantly surprised.

"There were quite a lot of youths hanging around the town centre later on but it was all very good natured," she says."

Dealing next with complaints about the limited opening hours of the police station, she said it was a misconception to think no-one was based there between 5pm and 9am or at weekends.

"The officers are working here 24 hours a day," she said."It's just the front desk which isn't manned. So if anybody urgently needs to get in contact they can, as the call centre will get through to us if necessary.

"I wanted this job and the staff are all very enthusiastic and personally care for the area. I can tell you they take it as a personal insult if there is a rise in burglaries or any other crime.

"I know Insp Williams personally and she is an excellent police officer who will want to know exactly what's going on here."

Stressing that Ilkley is still a very safe place to live, with a low crime rate, she advised: "I would urge people to shut the doors and windows of their homes and garages and to keep their car keys and other valuables hidden from view.

"We've been to a few lovely houses lately where their bedroom windows have been left insecure and someone's got in. Often crime prevention is just a matter of not making it easy for them."

l Anyone with general police enquiries can contact Ilkley station on (01943) 601060. Alternatively, crimes can be reported 24 hours a day on 0845 6060606.