A GARGRAVE man has become North Yorkshire Police's first ever volunteer chief officer - and possibly the first in the country.

Mike Maiden, a former Ministry of Justice Director and Probation Trust chief, has been appointed overall lead for the force's Citizens in Policing programme.

He will oversee Police Support Volunteers, the Special Constabulary and the Chaplaincy, as well as the force's partnership work with volunteer organisations such as search and rescue teams, neighbourhood watch, and community speed watch.

He will join the chief officer team, alongside, the Chief Constable, Deputy Chief Constable and Assistant Chief Constables.

Mr Maiden has extensive experience in the criminal justice service as a former chief executive of the Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust. He was also deputy director at the Ministry of Justice, leading the recent Transformation Rehabilitation programme.

Originally from Cumbria, he has lived in Bradford and is now settled in the Gargrave area.

He has been with North Yorkshire Police since April.

"As a probation employee I worked closely with the police for many years," he said. "This voluntary position fascinated me and I thought it would give me a huge opportunity to contribute to the communities of North Yorkshire, using my knowledge, skills and experience to the best advantage.

“Although I have lived mostly in Cumbria, North Yorkshire has a place in my heart and I am very pleased to now be living in, and contributing to keeping its communities safe.”

Chief Constable Dave Jones, added: “I would like to welcome Mike to our Chief Officer Team and thank him for contributing his time freely to developing our Citizens in Policing programme. He will be a real asset to our team, to North Yorkshire Police and to the communities of North Yorkshire.

“North Yorkshire Police has a strong history of volunteering. It plays a vital role in policing, whether it’s directly for the police or for one of the many organisations who work in partnership with us. People come from a wide variety of backgrounds and life experiences to give their own time freely, and for this we are extremely grateful.”