Constable Amy Stewart, of Dunedin, has been appointed to a newly established position within the Oamaru police crime investigation unit.
Detective Sergeant Rebecca Hill said the additional detective role was established in the Oamaru sub-area during a recent realignment of the Otago Coastal Investigations structure.
The new position boosts the numbers at Oamaru's crime investigation unit to five.
''The basis of this realignment process was to get the right structure in place to support the future strategic direction of policing within Otago Coastal and to ensure our energies and resources are positioned in the right areas and at the right level to support our focus into the future.''
Increasing the Oamaru team would allow for a more flexible and efficient allocation of workload across Otago Coastal, she said.
''[That] ensures we have a better opportunity to manage cases, which translates to an improved service for victims,'' Det Sgt Hill said.
Const Stewart is expected to start her new job next year.
