AN EXTRA 11 police officers will be stationed in Trowbridge from early next year, five of them PCSOs who will be tasked with patrolling the town’s streets.

Detective Inspector Andy Fee told Trowbridge councillors on Tuesday that five new police community support officers and six new police officers will be policing the town in a few months, if not earlier.

Trowbridge town councillor Clive Blackmore suffered a bleed on the brain after being attacked by three men in June when he was walking his black Labrador, Dave, in Pitman Avenue before he began his 4am postman shift. The former mayor was pleased and reassured by the news.

“This is a big step in the right direction as it can reassure many people, including me, that the police are doing what they can under financial constraints,” he said.

“Ever since the attack I have been looking over my shoulder when I do my shift at night. It makes you wary.

“My vision is not as good as it was too.

“I speak to a lot of people on the job and they tell me about tools being stolen, bikes being nicked, jewellery being taken – people are very brazen these days.

“Gone are the days where you just lock your door at night, now it is all day. The amount of times I find keys left in doors is quite alarming. To get a nice increase in police, which could stop attacks like these, is really positive.”

The news came as the Police Federation revealed burglaries in the county have risen 44 per cent in three years. The number of break-ins reached 1,600 in 2016-17, with suspects caught in only five per cent of cases. There was also a nine per cent rise in recorded crime from March 2016-17, from the previous year, according to Office for National Statistics figures.

DI Fee also reported that Wiltshire Police’s Community Tasking Team has made more than 100 arrests across Wiltshire since the squad was launched in August.

“We are happy with how successful things have gone so far. The team have taken down criminals such as drug traffickers and burglars, among others,” he said.

“In Trowbridge, we have dealt with a lot of anti social behaviour around the Spitfire Retail Park and enquiries are being made. The PCSOs will be stationed in Trowbridge by March and the six police officers will be up and running across west Wiltshire, spending a significant time in Trowbridge, in January.”

“We are making real efforts to take on more people so we can have a full compliment of officers in the town.”