A NEW police pilot will be launched across Trowbridge and Warminster later this year providing a “better value for money service”, according to Wiltshire Police Chief Constable Mike Veale.

From September 14 the force will test a community team model, in attempt to make policing quicker and more efficient.

Chief Constable Veale said: “It would be wrong of me not to mention austerity on the day the budget was announced but we have managed to save £17million over the last three or four years.

“We still have £9million more to save over the next three years but the public’s perceptions change every day that goes by about what they need and want from policing.

“If we didn’t have austerity, would we still be doing this pilot and the answer is yes because of the public demand which is for a better service which is more accessible and engaging.

“If you have the right people in the right place, with the right skills and knowledge and provide the services that the public want then it’s more cost effective.”

The pilot is expected to last for 10 weeks and will also cover Bradford on Avon, Westbury, Tisbury and Mere.

The new model should mean more officers patrolling the streets and a better use of technology.

Inspector Chris Chammings, who will be running the pilot, said: “We want to embed officers in the community and reduce the time it takes to resolve a report of crime or incident.

“We hope that it will provide a more efficient and improved service to the public and is something that as the weeks go by we will develop and shape to make it work.”

Wiltshire Police Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson added: “For me this pilot is what I set out in the Police and Crime Plan three years ago and it is finally coming to fruition.

“If the police don’t have the trust of the community then we have lost.”