Sutton's new police borough commander has pledged to be tougher on crime, with an increased focus on protecting the borough’s oldest and youngest residents.

Chief Superintendet David Snelling is also urging people to report incidents and suspicious behaviour straightaway, and to join the Neighbourhood Watch.

Young and elderly people are the most likely to be the victims of a crime, and Det Ch Supt Snelling aims to work with other bodies like the council, the Sutton Housing Partnership, and health authorities to help bring levels down.

He said: "Sutton is fortunate to be a pleasant, green and safe place where parents want to send their children to school, and where many adults choose to live most of their lives.

"They do so because Sutton is one of the safest boroughs in London.

"It is a borough where residents and police work well together. 

"Residents want to see officers on patrol, and to attend local meetings knowing that we are ready to listen and act on what they are saying so we can make a difference to their lives. 

"Research shows that confidence and satisfaction in policing is extremely high in Sutton compared to the vast majority of other London boroughs."

Det Ch Supt Snelling is in his first day of the job today, with his predecessor Guy Ferguson serving the last day of his 32-year Met Police career yesterday.

He has made a number of commitments to people living in the borough, such as working closely with schools to keep children safe, and working with organisations to protect the elderly from fraud.

He has also pledged to keep the public in the loop about policing activities- through local media, social media, newsletters, and attending local meetings.

Det Ch Supt Snelling also wants the number of Neighbourhood Watch members in Sutton to grow from 4,300 members to 5,000.

He said: "As a low crime borough we do not have the resources at our disposal of some high crime boroughs. But if we use what we have to the greatest effect, then by all of us working together we can make a positive difference."

Det Ch Supt Snelling joined the Met Police in 1985 when he was posted to Brixton after finishing his training.

Fourteen years later he was a Detective Chief Inspector in Lambeth, where he was promoted to superintendent two years later.

Between 2007 and 2012 he served as a Traffic Operational Command Unit Commander, and was elected chairman of the Met Police Superintendents Association last year.

He is also a rugby lover, having coached a youth team for the last seven years, and also enjoys gardening.