The number of police constables in Thames Valley Police’s Neighbourhood Teams is set to double, increasing the number of officers available to deal with local crime across the region.

The increase is through bringing in 80 additional neighbourhood officers, funded by the Police and Crime Commissioner, and a restructure of local policing teams, which will see the force move from an 11 local policing area structure to five Local Command Units (LCUs).

The increased resource in Neighbourhood Teams, together with a central community policing programme led by a Superintendent, will re-establish neighbourhood policing at a local level. This will increase the opportunities to engage with local communities and will bring the force closer to the community they serve.

The five LCUs will be Buckinghamshire, Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Berkshire West and Berkshire East. Roll-out of the changes will be phased, with changes being planned to begin in Buckinghamshire this year, and other areas to follow in 2024.

A move to five LCUs will mean that each area will have a dedicated proactive team, who will use a variety of tactics to target those posing the greatest threat to the community, such as those who carry weapons and knives, as well as county drug lines.

This restructure will also enable the force to more flexibly move resources across areas to respond to demand.

Deputy Chief Constable Ben Snuggs said: “I would like to thank everyone who shared their thoughts with us through our survey earlier this year. These responses have really helped shape our work and inform our decision.

“We are absolutely committed to local policing. We want these changes to clearly demonstrate that neighbourhood policing is at the heart of effective policing across the Thames Valley.”