Police Scotland has appointed a new local commander for the Lothian and Borders region.

Chief Superintendent Gill Imery has spent more than 27 years in policing, during which time she worked in a variety of uniform and detective officer posts, including head of CID at the former Lothian and Borders police force.

Recently she has been part of Police Scotland's Specialist Crime Division, where she led on all aspects of public protection, including the national Rape Taskforce and the National Human Trafficking Unit.

As local commander, Chief Supt Imery will take charge of an area stretching from Harthill in West Lothian to the Borders, including four local authority areas.

She said: "I started my police career in West Lothian and have had previous experience of working across all areas of this diverse division. I am very much looking forward to reacquainting myself with the area and its people and will be keen to understand the needs of the communities that we serve.

"My first experience of working in partnership with other public sector colleagues was in West Lothian when I worked on child abuse investigations and with the serious sexual crime unit and that has influenced my approach to policing ever since."