A deputation of community police officers in Bradford has signed an informal mutual co-operation agreement with police in Mirpur.

Many Bradford residents have links to Mirpur and there are strong familial and cultural links between the two areas.

The agreement, although not binding, is aimed at improving co-operation between West Yorkshire and Mirpur police and reducing crime in both countries.

The West Yorkshire officers accompanied a civic party including the former Lord Mayor of Bradford, Choudhary Rangzeb, business leaders and academics who were visiting the Mirpur area to build relations between the two regions.

One of the central aims of the agreement is to prevent criminal suspects fleeing one jurisdiction to the other to evade capture.

It will also give officers in Bradford a valuable insight into the relationship between the Mirpur police and residents, which can be applied to further improve community relations in Bradford.

Superintendent Larry Sherratt, head of Bradford Community Relations, was one of the officers who took part in the visit.

He said: "This is a very positive step. By undertaking this visit, we have laid the foundations to what could become a very beneficial relationship.

"The agreement that we've come to, will help to prevent crime crossing between the two regions.

"I would also warn any would-be criminals thinking they can flee from justice to another country that we are constantly striving to find ways of tracking them down.

"This is just the beginning though and we look forward to strengthening this relationship."

Mr Rangzeb said that such initiatives were vital to improve cultural understanding.

He said: "The visit was aimed at building closer relations with India and Pakistan, particularly Mirpur.

"I feel it is very important for West Yorkshire Police to have met their counterparts in Mirpur.

"We have a large Mirpur community in Bradford and I think it is important for police to understand the cultural differences and sensitivities of that section of our society."

Greater co-operation between the two forces was also highly important, said Mr Rangzeb.

"We had a very tragic incident involving the shooting of a young boy from Bradford in Mirpur recently," he said.

"While greater co-operation might not have been able to prevent this tragedy it will send out a strong signal to people that if they do commit a crime they will be held accountable whether they commit the crime in Pakistan or England."

On Friday, April 13, Hamza Nisar, ten, of Girlington, was shot and killed while on a family holiday in the region.

Last week his mother Nighat Nisar told the T&A how she watched her son die. She said: "I was in the kitchen feeding my youngest son, Ali. Suddenly I heard a really loud scream and a crying sound. I couldn't understand what it was. Then I realised it was my father, wailing and crying.

"As I entered the living room they were carrying my son into the house. They laid him on the sofa. My father and my nephew were covered with blood but I couldn't see any on Hamza.

"They lifted him up and he drew a breath and I thought he was going to be okay because he was breathing. It was his last breath."

A 45-year-old Pakistani national, Sajid Nazir, has been charged with his murder.

By Paddy McGuffin