MORE details have emerged on the future of North Yorkshire Police, with expansion planned in cybercrime and historical child abuse investigation.

Last week, Police and Crime Commissioner Julia Mulligan announced a recruitment drive to reverse the fall in officer numbers seen by the force since 2014, and today further information about the £3m scheme has been revealed.

Among the investment, new officers will be recruited to join the Serious Crime Team, which investigates violent crimes, rape, domestic abuse and the sexual exploitation of children.

Other officers recruited under the scheme will be trained in digital forensics, to investigate cases featuring modern technology like smartphones and tablets, and a team will be created specifically to tackle investigations into historical child abuse. The force's offender management team will also be expanded to try and stop reoffending, and cybercrime and online fraud resources will also increase.

Julia Mulligan: "The public of North Yorkshire clearly told me their number one priority is to protect vulnerable people. This includes a better response to people with mental health issues, tackling child sexual exploitation, online crime and fraud. All of which are contributing to increasing demands on our police service.

"As well as the increase in reported abuse and other crimes, the police are having to deal with exponential growth in the use of smartphones and tablets which may need to be forensically examined. This combination of factors - including tackling child sexual exploitation - requires significant policing resources. North Yorkshire is not alone in this respect. The £3 million investment being announced today means the police are in a better position than ever to protect vulnerable people, especially children, here in North Yorkshire."

Chief Constable Dave Jones said the move followed reviews by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabularies (HMIC), which found North Yorkshire Police, along with many forces around the country, must do more to protect vulnerable people.

He said: "Today explains how we intend to meet this challenge, having spent some time considering the right approach, that ensures greater protection for vulnerable people here in North Yorkshire.

"Tackling vulnerability is one of the biggest challenges facing the police service as a whole, but expanding our capacity in the way we plan to do will strengthen our hand in dealing with these significant issues. The uplift is the right investment utilising the opportunity created by the new financial position."