A MAN who has fought terrorism and helped fight organised crime has been appointed as the new commander for the Bracknell and Wokingham Local Police Area (LPA).
Superintendent Shaun Virtue started his new role on Monday, June 19, taking over from Supt Rob France who has been appointed Head of Governance and Service Improvement Department at Thames Valley Police (TVP) Headquarters in Kidlington.
Operational policing has formed most of Supt Virtue’s career with TVP.
Before this latest role, he was the Head of Tactical Firearms for Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary’s Joint Operations Unit. He has had a range of deployments from domestic situations and organised crime through to working in Counter Terrorism.
Supt Virtue has also served as the Deputy LPA Commander at Reading, introducing neighbourhood policing, directing operational policing and contributing towards a number of innovative multi-agency programmes to safeguard vulnerable people and reduce crime.
Having served in Bracknell Forest as the Community and Partnership Inspector and been a Wokingham resident himself, Supt Virtue said he is committed to using his own experiences in the area to ensure policing services remain concentrated on what matters most to our communities.
He said: “I am excited to have the opportunity to be LPA Commander for Bracknell and Wokingham.
“I have a personal affinity to the area and I am keen to pursue the good work and successes already in train to enhance the quality of life and safety of everyone in our community.
“I know the policing team and strong local partnerships will keep delivering a reliable service despite the challenging times ahead and I am proud of their commitment.”
