A Stockton family man who has played a leading role in strengthening links between the police and the black and ethnic minority communities in the area has been appointed as the new Vice-Chair of Cleveland Police Authority.
Mr Aslam Hanif, a property surveyor with a major housing organisation, has served as an independent member of the Police Authority since 2006 and Chairs its Policy and Resources Panel.
Said Mr Hanif “I have enjoyed working to improve the relationships between the police and what are sometimes seen as hard-to-reach groups and I am pleased to take on this new role at such an important time for policing—and, I believe, become the first person from the BME communities to hold the post of Vice-Chair.
“We face major challenges over coming months, both financially and in preparing for the transition to Elected Police Commissioners, and I look forward to working with my colleagues to protect the quality of our policing.”
Mr Hanif, who is also an active member of the Association of Police Authorities BME Networking Group, fills the Vice Chair vacancy arising from the recent appointment of Hartlepool Mayor Stuart Drummond as Authority Chair.