GLASGOW'S new top cop has promised to radically change policing in the city and west scotland.

Wayne Mawson, the assistant chief constable of the new Police Service Of Scotland, is responsible for local policing across the west, after Strathclyde Police merged into the new national force today.

Mr Mawson, who was the chief superintendent in charge of Glasgow's north and east and the whole of East Dunbartonshire, will now oversee thousands of bobbies on the beat across the former Strathclyde and Dumfries and Galloway forces.

And the senior officer says he wants teams to focus on pro-active policing rather than simply patrolling.

He said: "Rather than sitting and watching a powerpoint and then going out on patrol, I want sergeants and inspectors to stand in front of their officers and tell them exactly what he or she requires them to do.

"I want them to give each officer half a dozen tasks and hold them to account at the end of the shift."

Mr Mawson is also working on big changes for the rest of the country. He is setting up rape investigation units in every Scottish division.

And – signalling the goals of the national force – he also wants to have a domestic abuse unit in every division.

Across Scotland there will be policing strategies for each of the 32 council areas and their 353 multi-member wards.

The three old divisions that covered Glasgow were merged at the beginning of the year and put under a single city commander, Chief Superintendent Andy Bates.

This new superdivision includes three council areas, Glasgow, East Renfrewshire and East Dunbartonshire.

The two Lanarkshires, north and south, the old N and Q divisions, have also merged.

The new-look Glasgow division will take best practice from other parts of Scotland in what Mr Mawson calls a "learning journey".

Despite the massive shake-up, Mr Mawson says it is business as usual at local stations.

He said: "Community policing really is the cornerstone of everything that we do.

"Those police officers the public is used to – from constables to sergeants to inspectors – are not going anywhere.

"They are embedded in those communities and they will stay there."

The last big organisational change in policing, in 1975 when Strathclyde and the seven other Scottish regional forces were created, was hard to miss.

Uniforms changed fairly dramatically, with shirts turning from blue to white.

That is not going to happen this time round - because Strathclyde's finest have been wearing the same uniforms they have had for years. Mr Mawson explained: "Knowing change was coming, we have just being buying "police" branded uniforms.

"In other words we have already been debranding to 'Police' from 'Strathclyde Police'.

"The same thing applies to our motor cars. We are buying vehicles that are simply marked 'Police'."

Most police stations already simply say police, specific branding will be removed today.

Mr Mawson said: "There have been a few hiccups along the way.

"But, generally speaking, it has been seamless."