THE Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police has made a direct appeal to the person who knows what has happened to Claudia Lawrence to contact the police.

Speaking in his Christmas message, Grahame Maxwell urged that person to spare a thought for the missing chef’s family and give the information they have to police.

He said: “Somebody out there knows what has happened to Claudia, somebody out there has information which could assist us in determining what has happened to her.

“As you enjoy your Christmas with your family, spare a thought for Claudia’s family and what they must be going through.

“If you have information at all, no matter how small, which could help us find out what has happened to her, then please, contact the police. Or, you can give information anonymously to Crimestoppers.”

Mr Maxwell also reflected on the force’s achievements during 2009 and its plans for the future.

He explained how everyone has felt the effects of the recession over the past couple of years and said the public sector had not been immune.

He said: “We are already dealing with the issue of cuts in funding and have taken a forward-thinking approach to improving the services they provide with continual improvement being key to a sustainable police service.

“Public confidence is high on the agenda for next year, the force is currently 11th nationally in terms of its public confidence levels and we will strive to meet the government's target of 58.8 per cent by March 2011.”

He said he would also continue to build on his six strategic aims of “Safer Neighbourhoods”, “Safer Roads”, “Stronger Partnerships”, “Safeguarding our communities from Terrorism”, “Domestic Extremism and Serious and Organised Crime” and “Sustainable North Yorkshire Police”.