WREXHAM'S new inspector says she wants to make the city a place where people are “proud to live, work and visit”.

Inspector Heidi Stokes, who has served as a North Wales Police officer for the past 23 years, took up her new post in November, succeeding Inspector Luke Hughes.

She is the first female inspector to lead the district and was formerly a force incident manager (FIM).

Inspector Stokes has worked in a number of areas of the force – mainly covering the Wrexham city area.

The 52-year-old, originally from Cornwall, grew up in North Wales, and her career in Wrexham began as a response office at the age of 27.

That was after moving back to the area following a seven-year stint in the United States, working as an executive assistant.

After two years on response, she began working for the city’s 'Proactive Crime Car' - an unmarked police car targeting areas of Wrexham where threat and risk was identified.

She continued her career in Wrexham for a further 11 years as a response constable and sergeant, before becoming a custody sergeant, again in Wrexham.

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After moving on to the Operations Improvement Programme (OIP) in 2018, she began her role as a FIM in 2020, weeks before the country was forced into lockdown, where she stayed until being appointed inspector for Wrexham city.

Inspector Stokes said: “I knew I always wanted to come back to Wrexham. It’s where my career began, and I think there is something quite special about progressing through the ranks in the same area.”

On her plans for Wrexham city, she said her focus will be to continue tackling issues for the benefit of the communities in the city and making it a place where people are “proud to live, work and visit”.

She added: “I want Wrexham city to be a place where the team are happy, productive, engaged, and passionate about coming into work and doing what can be a tough job.

“My team are key to providing an excellent service to victims, reducing crime and making the city a very uncomfortable place for individuals who are committing crime. 

“I want it to be a place where people are proud to live, work and visit.

“But the police can’t do it all alone, so I am very keen to build strong working relationships with our partners to tackle issues for the benefit of the communities in our city.”

Inspector Stokes also explained what she loves most about the job.

She said: “I am very proud to be a police officer and have had some brilliant roles during my career – all of which I have loved for different reasons.

“However, there is something unique about being out and about in the communities and tracking down the persons who cause us harm, but also, understanding why they are doing what they are doing and what we can do to prevent it.”