A new police chief has been appointed for Reading.

Superintendent Nicholas John takes over as commander for the Reading area after holding the same role in West Berkshire for eight months.

The new boss started his role as local policing area commander for Reading on March 22.

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Supt John said: “I’m proud and consider it a real privilege to be working within Reading, building on the successes already achieved here.

“With colleagues and our partners, and in line with the force priorities, I want to ensure an excellent service is delivered for our communities, with a focus on reducing crime and, where it has occurred, getting a swift response that brings offenders to justice.”

He takes over from Supt Rai, who has left the Reading role after eight months to become superintendent for road policing in the joint operations unit (Thames Valley Police & Hampshire Constabulary).

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Thames Valley Police’s (TVP) Reading headquarters will move to Atlantic House, near the Madejski Stadium and new train station Green Park next year.

Supt John initially joined the Metropolitan Police Service as a police constable in 1998, before moving to Wiltshire Constabulary in 2006, where he reached the rank of superintendent within six years.

In 2015, he moved to Thames Valley, where he was appointed head of serious and organised crime, before becoming head of protecting vulnerable people.

Most recently, Supt John was commander for West Berkshire, leading the policing response across the huge area.