NEARLY three months since it launched in Trowbridge and Warminster, a pilot scheme for a new way of policing has welcomed two community co-ordinators to oversee the way officers are involved in local activities.

PC Mark Hough will take responsibility for Trowbridge and Bradford on Avon while PC Charlotte Chilton will be community co-ordinator for Warminster, Westbury, Tisbury, Mere and local villages.

The pilot, which began in September, has seen the dissolution of neighbourhood policing teams in place of a community team to bring together the skills and experience of smaller teams made up of neighbourhood policing, 999 response call officers, investigators, call handlers and dispatchers.

PC Hough, who joined the force in 1991, said despite being in post for just over a week, he has got to grips with his new role.

He added: “I deal with the event planning for events such as Armed Forces Week, Christmas and Remembrance Day.

“I am the single point of contact for a lot of the agencies in the area and so I disseminate that information to the PCSOs.”

The 48-year-old added that while the role is largely admin-based, he will also liaise with communities after the role of community beat managers have been transitioned into the community team.

He said: “The community co-ordinator role is also helping to fill the gap of what we have lost, community beat managers and I am trying to keep those relationships going.

“The pilot is developing and may change whether we stay as community co-ordinators or not. The force is dealing with the austerity it faces.

“I have spent five years as a beat manager for a number of villages and am very used to speaking publicly. I feel confident to make decisions which is what they were looking for in a candidate. My skillset was quite wide and so they thought that I fitted the role well.”

The pilot has also seen an increased emphasis on technology which aims to improve contact for victims and witnesses, giving staff and officers more opportunities to keep victims and witnesses updated and deal with a crime or incident from the initial call to its conclusion.

Inspector James Brain, who has been overseeing the team of 100 plus dedicated staff and officers, said, like all pilots, there are teething problems but he is confident in its progress.

He said: “As we now enter week 10 of the community policing team it continues to evolve. We have continued to monitor the progress and already the pilot looks different to what we started with at week one.

“The most notable change is the implementation of the community co-ordinators’ role. I foresee this role as pivotal in developing strong links between our communities and the community policing team.”