A new deputy commander has been appointed in the Wycombe Local Police Area (LPA).

Chief Inspector Gassan Shaladan started in the role of deputy commander for the Wycombe local policing area, taking over from Inspector Michelle Sale, who held the role temporarily.

C/Insp Shaladan brings with him over 18 years’ experience of policing to the area, starting first in Hampshire Constabulary and then transferring to Thames Valley Police in 2012.

As a police constable and sergeant, C/Insp Gassan spent much of his time in operational roles covering emergency response, drugs enforcement and roads policing.

After being promoted to Inspector in Reading, C/Insp Shaladan work focused largely on community engagement and working with partners, exploring how co-ordinated responses could be used to resolve problems.

As part of this, he developed a multi-agency safeguarding team to tackle the emerging issues of county drug lines and child criminal exploitation, a model that gained national recognition from Public Health England.

While in the police, C/Insp Shaladan has also completed a Master’s Degree in policing, policy and leadership, and his most recent role has been focused on driving standards of investigations and identifying ways in which policing can continually develop and improve.

He said: “I am really excited to join the team at Wycombe and build on some of the fantastic work already underway.

“I am passionate about victim satisfaction which is rightly at the heart of every investigation and will ensure that this remains a priority for the policing team here in Wycombe.

“I’m looking forward to hearing from the local community to understand their perspectives and look at how we can work together to tackle crime and keep Wycombe a safe place to live and work.

“I’ve always believed that working together with our partners and the communities we serve is key to understanding the issues we face and how best to problem solve them.”