Crossword Genius

Severe police officer removed from locality (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

strict

'severe' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)

'police officer removed from locality' is the wordplay.
'police officer' becomes 'DI' (abbreviation for Detective Inspector).
'removed from' indicates named letters should be taken away.
'locality' becomes 'district' (I've seen this before).
'district' with 'di' taken out is 'STRICT'.

(Other definitions for strict that I've seen before include "No-nonsense" , "Requiring complete obedience" , "Exacting, unsparing" , "Rigid or stern" , "Not allowing laxity" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
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