A KIRKLEES policeman has been elected to a senior post in an international organisation.
Dewsbury-based Insp Howard Atkin, 46, has been elected vice-president of the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts and will help to lead it forward.
He said the Huddersfield police division had a pioneering crime analysis reputation among forces worldwide.
Many schemes which started here have been copied across the globe.
One of the most famous was the Biteback scheme in the early 90s.
In that, police worked with criminologist Prof Ken Pease and found that once people had been burgled, their homes were likely to be raided again.
But measures were put in place to either thwart the culprits or catch them red- handed.
The IALEIA is the world's largest and most established professional body for intelligence analysts, with several thousand members in more than 45 countries.
Insp Atkin is an internationally recognised expert on intelligence and analysis.
He was the first European to be awarded certified crime analysis status by the Society of Certified Crime Analysts.
This is the highest professional recognition available to analysts.
He has also achieved four IALEIA professional service awards, the highest number awarded to anyone in the organisation's 25-year history.
Insp Atkin said: "This is the first time the organisation has elected someone to such a high executive level who is not a North American.
"This underlines the commitment of the IALEIA to serving the international community. It is a tremendous honour, for myself, West Yorkshire Police and the UK."
He said he first came across the importance of crime analysis and intelligence when he became a detective almost 20 years ago.
His interest grew from there.
He said: "Crime analysis has helped me to do my job better as a detective and led me to catching more criminals."
Analysts examine the way all kinds of crimes are committed.
In the case of burglaries, they would look at the way the intruders broke in, what they stole and the way they searched the house.
This may match profiles on known offenders or help to narrow the focus of the investigation.
Police also send warnings to burglary-hit areas through Neighbourhood Watch schemes, so people can tighten up their home security.
