THE new Largs police chief says she has been overwhelmed by the community spirit in the town.

Taking up the post of Sergeant at the end of September, Sharron Kerr, 40, recently took up the post of sergeant and has hit the ground running.

She says the town has a unique positive atmosphere.

Sergeant Kerr said: “What has really blown me over since I have been here is the community spirit.

“Largs was the only place I have never worked before in the area - I have been everywhere else in the division and the sub division.

“It’s great to see how much of an interest the people of Largs have in their community.

"They're keen to see any issues or problems through to the end.

“For Remembrance Day the fact there was such a huge turnout and people stood in horrendous weather conditions was amazing.

“It just showed how passionate people get about what happens in and around their neighbourhoods."

With 17 years of service in the force, Sharron - who is married to Allan and has two children - has served in response policing, CID and the family protection unit.

Since taking up her new position, she has been keen to sink her teeth in to topical local issues, including the traffic problems at the Largs Campus.

By setting up patrols at the school, she believes that a regular police presence will make an impact.

She told the News: "There is a lot of concern surrounding the school and how parents are parking, which has been a big issue we have been dealing with since I started.

"We have carried out two patrols and I was keen on the first instance to make it about re-education.

"Since being up the second time there has been a huge improvement.

"It will obviously never be completely resolved but it's about making people more aware.

"It's important to have a police presence and for people to see the police in the community, like years ago when we had a beat bobbie.

"It encourages a positive relationship with the police rather than them driving around in cars, which makes them seem a bit more anonymous.

"The team are all very experienced and are helping me to learn how things are ordinarily done in the town, so it's great to be able to call on that experience"

Sharron says that it was the positive relationship with the police in her hometown of Irvine which encouraged her to join the police.

She added: "We had a great relationship with the police where I lived and I just new that’s what I wanted to do when I grew up.

"It sounds cliché but I got in to the police because I do genuinely want to help people."